What happens in Esthar
by Ronin-ai
Summary: Rinoa is given a weekend trip to an exclusive resort/spa on the northern coast of Esthar as a birthday gift from Quistis and Selphie. Unfortunately, neither they nor Rinoa was aware that the spa offers more than simply beauty and wellness packages to its clients...it also offers male companionship.. with Squall included on the menu...AU story Written for WiB Inspired...
1. Chapter 1

**What Happens in Esthar…**

Disclaimer: NO, I do not own these characters, or FFVIII. So there.

Chapter I.

_March 3rd, 2:23 pm. _

"Rinny! Happy birthday sweetie!" Selphie crowed happily as she bounced enthusiastically into Rinoa's apartment. Quistis followed more sedately behind and gave Rinoa a hug in greeting.

"Uh, thanks guys. You didn't have to come over, I really didn't have anything specific planned." Rinoa said.

"I know, and Selphie insisted we come by anyway. Doesn't do to be alone on your birthday, you've done far too much of that lately and it's time to stop." Quistis said.

"Yeah! So we're kidnapping you for the evening and taking you out! We are gonna par-tay!" Selphie announced.

"Oh, Selphie…I don't know…" Rinoa said hesitantly.

"Rinoa, I know losing Allyn was hard, but it's been nearly a year. You can't stay holed up here forever." Quistis said gently, adding, "You need to rejoin the living. You know he wouldn't want you to mourn him indefinitely."

"Yeah, so come on Rinoa, put on your prettiest dress and let's go out and have some fun!" Selphie urged her.

Rinoa sighed. She didn't want to go out, not really, but her friends were right. She couldn't hide in her apartment forever, watching the same four walls and feeling how empty the place was without her fiancée's presence adding life to it.

At least Caraway left her alone about it, though she suspected that the general mourned the young lieutenant nearly as deeply as she did. Certainly Caraway had gotten along well with Allyn, which was a surprise to all parties concerned; Rinoa tended to pick young men guaranteed to annoy her father. She supposed it didn't hurt that Allyn had come from a good family, had graduated with top honors from Galbadia's most prestigious military school and had garnered an officer's commission the moment he'd enlisted in the Galbadian army.

Of course, those were things that _General Caraway_ had liked about Allyn. Rinoa had loved his sense of humor, how warm and loving he was with her, and his gentlemanly manner. For the first time, it hadn't mattered to Rinoa that the man she was attracted to was wearing a G-army uniform and served under her father. She'd overlooked that, just this once, and had found the missing piece of her heart.

It was just bitter irony that her father had sent him to a posting in a hot zone that had ended up taking his life just weeks before they were to be married.

Deciding then and there that she'd brooded long enough about it, she forced a smile and said, "Okay. Just give me a few minutes to get ready."

"Great! We're gonna have some fun, aren't we Quisty?" Selphie bounced happily.

"You bet we are," Quistis smiled at Rinoa.

They treated her to a nice, low-key dinner at one of Deling City's best restaurants, and Rinoa sincerely appreciated her friends' efforts to commemorate her birthday. Selphie in particular, who tended toward wild parties, had made an effort to tone town to Rinoa's speed just this once so as not to put her off entirely. They both knew that Rinoa wasn't completely ready to be out, but they also knew that it was time for at least a gentle push in that direction.

It was over dessert (and more than a few glasses of wine for each of them) that Selphie chirped, "I'm glad you were able to come out with us tonight Rinny. Quisty and I both chipped in for your birthday present. I hope you like it."

"What is it?" Rinoa asked curiously, wondering why both Quistis and Selphie would have had to go in together for the gift. That worried her, because that hinted at something horribly expensive. And horribly expensive gifts could either be exquisite in the extreme or just plain…horrible. While neither of her two friends was exactly _rich_, they weren't poor either. So that left Rinoa a little apprehensive about what it was that they'd gotten her.

"It's a weekend getaway at an exclusive resort spa in Northern Esthar. I hear it's really high class." Selphie answered.

"It certainly was expensive enough, that's for sure," Quistis interjected dryly.

"A spa weekend? Guys, really?" Rinoa asked, wondering what a spa weekend entailed, exactly.

"Yeah, we figured a change of scenery and a little pampering wouldn't hurt you and might even help you." Selphie answered.

"It's in a really beautiful location with a private beach, their staff is top-notch and they do everything there. It's a full-service spa with any health or beauty related thing you could possibly want; they even have world-class chefs on site. Concierge service to tailor your visit…all of it just to make sure you feel like a million gil when you're done." Quistis added.

Rinoa considered that. The location Quistis described was one of the most beautiful spots in the world, and she had always wanted to see Esthar. Allyn had wanted to go too and they'd started to make plans to go there on their honeymoon when he'd been killed.

And a spa weekend…. two whole days of being pampered in any way possible that she could think of…Two whole days away from Deling City, her father, and everything that reminded her of Allyn. Maybe that was exactly what she needed.

"So, when did you guys book this for me?" Rinoa asked.

"Well, we wanted to get it as close to your birthday as possible but we left your options open as to when you actually go, so we got you a gift certificate." Selphie explained.

"So, I could go anytime then, right?" Rinoa asked.

"Yes. And airfare's included." Quistis answered.

"Wow. Guys, this is…wow. Thanks, thanks so much!" She smiled, reaching out and taking each of their hands.

"No problem. We really racked our brains to find something to get for your birthday and this seemed to be what the doctor ordered. And don't worry about Angelo, I'll puppy-sit her for you." Selphie offered.

"Thanks Selphie." Rinoa smiled at her.

"So, when did you want to go?" Quistis asked her curiously.

"Might as well go next weekend," Rinoa said, then asked Selphie anxiously, "Unless you'd rather take Angelo another time?"

Selphie shook her head vigorously, causing her red-brown hair to bounce around her face, "No, next weekend is fine! Go! Go and tell us what an awesome time you had. Maybe Quistis and I will start saving up for a trip for ourselves."

"I'll drive you to the airport," Quistis offered.

"And I'll come along to give you hugs good bye." Selphie declared.

"Okay then. I guess I'm going to Esthar next Saturday." Rinoa said.

"Actually, you might want to schedule your flight for Friday. It's a three night, two day package." Quistis advised.

"Okay then, I'll do that first thing in the morning." Rinoa confirmed.

* * *

A little over a week later, they all stood in the Deling International Airport awaiting Rinoa's flight to Esthar. According to the details of the package, the spa would have a car sent to pick her up and bring her to her accommodations there. In looking over everything that was included, Rinoa was amazed at the selflessness of her friends in getting it for her.

A car would be sent for her? There would be a concierge to help her enjoy her experience there? Room for three nights and two days with all meals included? With a full entertainment package as well as the regular spa services? That last bit puzzled Rinoa a little. What did an 'entertainment package' entail anyway? Whatever it was, Quistis and Selphie had to have paid an impressive amount of gil for it. Services like that didn't come cheap.

All too soon, Rinoa's flight was announced and she hugged her friends good bye and left to board.

As she walked out of sight, Quistis glanced over at Selphie to see her absorbed in studying a sheaf of papers.

"What are you looking at?" She asked her diminutive companion.

"Oh, I printed this off the spa's website." Selphie answered.

"Oh? You know, I don't think you ever actually told me the name of this place. I just gave you the money to make the arrangements." Quistis commented.

"Golden Chocobo Ranch." Selphie answered, adding, "I'm seriously considering saving money up to go there too. Take a look at their staff profiles will you? Such a collection of hunks I've never seen in my life!"

"Really?" Quistis asked, intrigued. "Show me."

She leaned close to Selphie and scanned the pages that she held. She was right. Every employee with the exception of a very few, were male. And all were drop-dead gorgeous, particularly the concierges.

"Whew!" Selphie breathed out as she studied one picture. "Take a look at this one will you? I wouldn't mind renting _him_ for a night!"

"Let me see!" Quistis demanded, then her breath whooshed out just like Selphie's had as she studied the image.

Arresting ice blue eyes set off by thick, dark lashes stared back at her from a finely chiseled face framed by tousled, longish red-brown hair that flopped into those cool eyes. He was almost too perfect to be true, and the only thing that gave him any sort of reality was the scar slashed diagonally across that perfect face. It gave him a rakish, almost dangerous look. Beneath the photo were his initials, S. L., and a brief description of his specialty: _Martial arts, self-defense and personal security. Availability: by appointment only._

"Wow. A private self-defense instructor even? How cool is that? And he's a serious hottie too!" Quistis sighed at that. Rinoa was going to have some amazing eye-candy to keep her occupied for the next couple of days, especially if she decided to opt for the self-defense instruction.

"Well, Rin did mention once that she wanted to study self-defense, so I booked an appointment with him. He must be in really high demand because it cost a mint to reserve his time for the entire weekend." Selphie commented.

"So _that's_ why it cost us so much! You know, if you think about it, you didn't just rent that guy for a night for Rinoa, but the whole weekend." Quistis said.

Selphie giggled, "You know, I kind of did, didn't I? I hope she appreciates it. I certainly would if it were me!"

"Yeah, me too." Quistis replied, laughing as well.

Then something on the printed pages caught Quistis' eye and she frowned, reading the information about the spa more closely.

"Ummm…Selphie? What kind of a spa resort is this, exactly?" She asked, biting her lip.

"I dunno, a really expensive, remote one stocked with really hot guys? Why do you ask?" Selphie asked her in turn.

"Well…listen to this and tell me what _you_ think it means." Quistis said, and read the printed information aloud. "The Golden Chocobo Ranch is located on a pristine stretch of Esthar's most beautiful white-sand beach on the coveted north coast. Our world-class accommodations and attentive staff are sure to make your stay as pleasurable as possible. Our remote location and professional security personnel guarantee privacy and discretion, allowing you to take advantage of all that we have to offer. Whatever fantasy you may entertain, our concierges will be more than willing to act as your escort to ensure that you are satisfied with your visit. If you are _not_ completely satisfied, please tell us and you will be fully refunded."

Selphie frowned, "I dunno… sounds pretty straightforward to me, although I'm not sure about the fantasy thing…"

Quistis, who'd continued reading silently, suddenly gasped, "Selphie? Look!" She pointed out some text toward the bottom of the page that had been overlooked previously. Selphie read it in silence and her jaw dropped, meeting Quistis' eyes in shock.

"Wait. You mean…this place is…" she began, unable to finish her sentence.

Swallowing, Quistis nodded, "I'm afraid so. Selphie, we just sent Rinoa to a…." words failed her. It was too crazy to be true. And if it _was_, it was the cruelest thing that they could have done to their friend.

She took a deep breath, and, staring into Selphie's eyes, said slowly, "I think we just sent Rinoa to a brothel that caters to women."

* * *

It was a long flight to Esthar City. Six hours, in fact. Adding in the time difference between Esthar and Galbadia, and Rinoa was not at all surprised to feel exhausted and off kilter. Who wouldn't when one left in the morning and landed just a few hours later at full dark?

As she waited in baggage claim, the only thing Rinoa really wanted at that moment was her baggage of course, and after that, food and sleep. She hoped that it wasn't too late for dinner or that she could order room service. She supposed that she could, they had a chef on staff there. Hell, at this point she'd be happy with a cereal bar.

Fortunately, given the hour of her arrival there, traffic was fairly light and the driver that had been sent for her was easily found, exactly where she'd been told he'd be.

"Miss Heartilly, I presume?" The young man asked her with a smile.

"Ye-" she began and froze once she got a good look at the man had been sent for her. He was tall and broad-shouldered, wearing a well-tailored uniform, with close-cropped black hair and warm brown eyes. All of it in a ruggedly handsome tanned face that sported beautiful white teeth and dimples when he smiled.

" I'm Danton, your driver this evening. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to the Golden Chocobo Ranch and you can get checked in." with that, he smoothly took charge of her luggage and led her to where the car, which turned out to be a sleek, black _limousine_, waited for them.

After quickly stowing her luggage in the boot of the car, he courteously opened the back door and ushered her in, then came to the front and took his place behind the wheel.

As he fired up the engine and pulled smoothly away from the airport, he asked her, "How was your flight?"

Rinoa sighed tiredly and answered, "Long. I've never been to Esthar. I had no idea it would take _this_ long to get here."

"Well, once we arrive, just check in at the reception desk and they'll help you from there. You can either opt to meet your concierge tonight or wait until tomorrow if you're too tired." He said.

"I think I'll wait. The only thing I want right now is several hours of uninterrupted sleep." Rinoa said.

"I understand." The driver laughed softly. Then he added, "It's a long drive to the ranch from the airport. If you'd look into that compartment directly in front of you, you should find a small pillow and a blanket. Let me know and I'll put on some music, or I can simply raise the privacy screen and let you sleep."

"Oh. Okay. Thank you…Danton?" she asked, and he nodded to confirm that she had the name right. "I think I'll just sleep for a bit, if the drive is as long as you say."

"Very well, and you are welcome ma'am. I'll wake you when we get there." the driver told her warmly, and raised the screen between them.

The back seat of the limousine was easily large enough for her to stretch out fully, and she took the pillow and blanket and made herself comfortable. Obviously, this place was high class if even the drivers were this courteous. She felt confident that the rest of the staff would be equally nice. Then her jet lag caught up with her and she fell asleep quickly as the low rumbling vibration of the car's engine lulled her.

A gentle hand touching her shoulder woke her some time later and she blinked up in confusion at the driver's smile.

"Miss Heartilly? We've arrived." He informed her.

"Thanks," she yawned. Then she stretched for a moment to wake up a bit before she attempted to exit the car and follow the driver into the resort's lobby. He waited patiently for her to gather herself, and then presented his hand to help her to her feet when she was ready.

When she appeared to be fully awake and steady on her feet, the driver let go and told her, "follow me."

Glancing back to the car, Rinoa asked, "What about…"

"Your bags are already in the lobby." He informed her. Glancing down at her with a slight smile, he asked, "feel better?"

"Much. I needed the rest. Now I'm starving." Rinoa admitted. Then she yawned again and rubbed at her eyes.

The driver smiled at that. She was certainly a cute little thing, and much younger than their usual clients. He wondered how she'd come to be there, and who had been fortunate enough to book her.

"Well, there's always room service," He informed her.

"Yeah, that's true." Rinoa said as they reached the reception desk.

"Well, here we are. I hope you enjoy your stay Miss Heartilly." He said, starting to turn away.

He'd only gotten a couple of strides before Rinoa suddenly remembered to tip him and dug through her purse, cheeks burning.

"Wait!" she hurried after him and took his hand, placing some notes into it. "I'm so sorry I forgot. And you've been so kind. Thank you."

His handsome face softened and, placing his hand over his heart, he bowed slightly and said, "Thank _you_, Miss Heartilly. You have a good evening."

Rinoa turned and went back to the reception desk, saying, "sorry about that. I guess I'm still waking up."

"That's quite all right," The receptionist said. "Are you checking in?"

"Yes ma'am." Rinoa answered.

"Name?" The woman asked.

"Rinoa Heartilly. I have a reservation confirmation number here somewhere..." Rinoa said, biting her lip and digging through her purse again. "Ah! Here it is."

She gave the information to the receptionist, who keyed it into her computer and then turned away briefly to get a keycard.

"Here you are, " She said, handing it to Rinoa. "Room 417. Marc will show you."

Rinoa glanced at the man waiting patiently with the luggage cart containing her belongings. It seemed a bit much for just her two little bags, which she could have easily carried herself. But, she was still tired, and dammit, this was her weekend to be pampered. So she decided to leave them as they were and allow the man to do his job.

"Follow me," He requested, leading her to an elevator.

As they got in, Rinoa leaned against the back and sighed, wondering briefly why the receptionist hadn't asked her about meeting the concierge. And what exactly did a concierge here _do_, anyway? The way she remembered it, they were just like butlers or something like that. Odd that she would have one specifically assigned to her.

The elevator pinged and the doors whooshed open. The bellman exited, tugging the luggage cart behind him, and Rinoa followed after, idly studying the décor as she did.

The entire place exuded warmth and class, and looked more like high-end apartments or condominiums than a resort hotel. Tiny touches like ultra-plush, immaculate carpeting, marble floors in the lobby, lush tropical plants and flowers in every alcove, and designer furnishings helped further that impression.

"Here we are, Miss Heartilly. He informed her, indicating the door.

"Good." Rinoa sighed in relief, swiped her keycard through the reader and then pulled out a few gil notes and tipped the bellman.

"Thanks, I've got it from here." She said, grabbing her bags and opening the door.

"Very well. You have a good night ma'am." The man said politely and left.

Rinoa stepped awkwardly through the doorway with her bags, suddenly wishing that she' d had the bellman carry them for her instead, and froze when she heard a voice say coldly:

"Sorry, I'm off the clock tonight. You'll have to find another room."

Heart in her mouth, Rinoa whirled; dropping her bags in the process, then froze as she met a pair of ice-blue eyes glaring at her from the couch in the sitting room.

"Wh…what?" she asked, staring uncomprehendingly at the stranger that was sitting in _her_ room. The bare-chested, muscular, GORGEOUS stranger that was continuing to glare at her.

Her mouth went dry as he uncoiled gracefully from the couch, closed the laptop computer that sat on the coffee table in front of him, and stalked toward her.

"I _said_," he emphasized, "That I am off the clock tonight. As in _not working. _ Find another room."

Rinoa couldn't seem to find the power to speak as he approached her. Instead she simply stared, eyes wide, taking in the thick, unruly mane of chestnut hair, the beautifully modeled face that was oddly marred by a diagonal scar slashed between the eyes and over the nose, the well-defined muscles of his chest and abdomen, and the loose-fitting black cotton pajama pants that left virtually nothing to the imagination, including the fact that the man was apparently commando for the night.

Swallowing, she tried, "Bu…but this.. I was assigned…." He came to a stop in front of her and Rinoa stopped again, noting vaguely that he was taller than her, but not by much. Certainly, he couldn't have been over six feet. Nowhere close to Allyn's six-three_._

An exasperated growl made her jump as he deftly snatched her keycard from her hand and glared at it. Then he stalked from the room without another word.

"He-hey? Um.. my card?" Rinoa asked, wondering what the hell was going on.

Why was this guy in her room? Why was he so upset at _her_ being there and what did the fact that he was "off the clock, as in NOT WORKING" have to do with it? Was he her concierge? Had they not told him that she was coming? And why hadn't they asked her about meeting him tonight when she'd checked in, anyway?

Those questions spurred her to action and she closed the door and followed after him. But he'd seemingly disappeared. Rinoa wandered through the hotel room… suite really… looking for him, and growing more and more confused as she did. The place was immaculately clean and tastefully decorated, but there were personal care items and a toothbrush and toothpaste in the bathroom, along with copper-colored towels that were plush and soft and obviously not standard hotel linens, likewise with the matching shower curtain and other bathroom accoutrements. There were clothes already hanging in the bedroom closet..._his_ clothes…and the bed looked like it had been slept in recently.

It didn't look like a hotel room; it looked like he actually _lived_ there. Like it was his _home_. She began to wonder if there _had_ been some kind of mistake in assigning her this room.

She finally found him in the kitchen, leaning against the counter and talking on the phone in a low, angry voice. Seemingly unaware of her presence as she paused in the doorway.

"I _told_ you I was taking this weekend off!" He was growling. The unheard reply drew his brows together into an impressive scowl, which coupled with the scar, made him appear downright dangerous.

Rinoa gulped, taking in the rest of what the harsh, bright light of the kitchen revealed: He was young…her age or possibly slightly older, certainly no older than twenty-five. A tattoo rested upon his left shoulder of a symbol that she vaguely recognized but couldn't quite place at the moment, numerous scars decorated his lean body, a metal stud earring was in his left ear, and a heavy, silvery chain with a unique pendant that combined the head of a roaring lion with what looked like a dagger hung from his neck.

"There isn't any one else available?" he was asking, cursing under his breath at the response.

"What's the _problem_?" he suddenly burst out angrily. "I get _no_ notice, _nothing_. I'm _supposed _to be off but suddenly I'm not and to top it off, she's not even my type! You know I only book blonds!" Here he paused, listening, then sighed.

"All right, fine. But you tell Marti we're going to have a discussion about this on Monday." He stated, grudgingly capitulating, then hanging up the phone.

Then he folded his arms and looked right at Rinoa as though he'd been aware of her presence the entire time, saying, "I know you're there. Come on in."

Slowly, she walked into the kitchen, hands clasped nervously behind her back. The scowl and folded arms had changed his appearance from attractive to intimidating, and she was more than a little apprehensive.

"I'm sorry about this, I don't know what happened. I didn't mean to invade your home…" she said, biting her lip.

"Scheduling fuckup." He said shortly, causing her to blink in surprise. "And it can't be fixed. So you're stuck with me for the weekend."

"I don't understand. Stuck with you? Are you my concierge then?" she asked, puzzled.

The scowl cleared from his face and he assessed her for a long moment before answering, "Yes, among other things. If you want to, we can get right to that, but it's rather late and not to be insulting, but you look a little tired."

"I _am_ a little tired, I've flown all the way from Deling City. I haven't even had a chance to eat dinner yet…" Rinoa's voice trailed off as the rest of it sank home. "Wait. So…I'm staying…_here_? With you?"

When he nodded in confirmation Rinoa's mouth went dry again and she asked in a small voice, "Do…you have another bedroom?" She hadn't seen one, but she asked anyway.

When he shook his head Rinoa licked her lips and asked, "A hide away bed in the couch?" Another negative shake. "A...roll away? An airbed?" Headshake. "A sleeping bag?" Ditto.

"I have a bed and a couch, and we can use either one but I prefer the bed, personally. More comfortable. But really, now's not the time for that anyway." The man replied, shaking his head. "I mean, I really wasn't ready for a client to come in tonight, so obviously we got off on the wrong foot, initially. Plus, you've already mentioned that you missed dinner. So let's take care of that first, shall we?" Turning away for a moment, he picked up the phone and started dialing.

Numbly, Rinoa nodded. Of course. Room service. Her mind swam as she replayed everything that he'd told her thus far, trying to make sense of it. She was staying with this incredibly attractive young man, in his home, and he casually spoke of them possibly either sharing the couch or the bed like it was inevitable. She was having a bit of difficulty wrapping her head around what that implied.

"What did you want for dinner, anyway?" he asked her as he listened to the phone ring.

She hadn't thought to pick up a menu, so she hadn't a clue, "I don't know, really. Maybe a salad? Soup? What about you?"

"I've already eaten. What's your name anyway? Normally they tell me before the client ever gets here but..." Here he shrugged.

"Rinoa. Rinoa Heartilly." She answered. "And um… Yours?"

"Squall Leonhart," He responded back. Then the phone was answered on the other end and his attention was diverted momentarily as he ordered her dinner.

He glanced at her briefly, listening to the phone, and asked her, "Do you want anything to drink with your dinner? They've got a nice wine list here."

Rinoa shook her head and answered, "No. Just tea. Or water. I'm not much for drinking."

He frowned slightly at that, and then nodded, telling the person on the other end of the line, "just tea." A pause, then, "Thank you." Then he hung up the phone.

Gazing at her again in that disturbingly intense manner that he had, Squall asked her, "Are you a vegetarian? I suppose I should have asked. I _did_ order a vegetable barley soup and garden salad just in case, with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. They should be up with it in a few minutes."

Rinoa cleared her throat and said, "No, I'm not, but that's fine. It's a little late for anything really heavy anyway."

Squall nodded in agreement. "There is that." Then he gestured with his head toward the main room where she'd dropped her bags.

"Come on. Let's get you settled." He pushed away from the counter and padded out of the kitchen. Rinoa followed him, uncomfortably aware of his taut backside and lean muscled back…again liberally crisscrossed with scars. They weren't terrible, and really only visible at all in the right light. He was undeniably attractive in spite of them, but it left Rinoa wondering how he'd gotten them.

Then he picked up her bags and carried them into his bedroom.

"W-wait! We…we haven't really talked about our sleeping arrangements!" Rinoa protested as he tossed the bags onto his bed.

He paused, folding his arms and frowning at her. "I have a spare dresser here, so you won't have to dig through your bags if you want something to wear. The bed's more than big enough for the both of us and I promise I won't touch you until you ask me to."

Rinoa's mouth went dry again and her mind began to swim as she slowly began think through everything he'd said to her that evening up to that point. He'd said he was her concierge…_among other things. What _other things? He spoke in a matter of fact tone about them getting to those _other things_, and sharing a bed as though it was part of his job. He'd said that he wouldn't touch her until she _asked_ him too, and finally there was the comment that she'd overheard indicating that he only booked blonds. That last part left her even more confused. Why was she even there, if that was the case? And why did it even matter?

What the hell kind of resort/spa _was_ this place, anyway?

"Miss Heartilly? Rinoa? Are you okay?" Squall's voice drifted through the fog that had begun to seep at the edges of her vision.

"What…does a concierge do…here?" Rinoa asked him faintly.

Squall frowned, beginning to feel a little concerned for his client, as she'd gone deathly pale, and answered, "Well, whatever the client wants, really. We help them to determine what it is that they want to gain from their visit here, then help them obtain it. We'll help organize their itinerary to take full advantage of all the spa's amenities, whatever they want to do… skincare, health and wellness, anything, really. Our main goal is to make sure our clients have a pleasurable experience, whatever their fantasy might be, from mild to wild. I _do_ have some limits though, just so you know. I prefer just one on one, and women only. No threesomes, no couples, and no men. Of course, you came here alone, so I guess that won't be a problem. And ordinarily I just do blonds, sometimes the odd redhead but…. Miss? Rinoa?"

As Squall outlined what it was that he was actually hired to do, it all fell into place for Rinoa and crashed in on her, smothering her in wads of cotton and sending her drifting away to oblivion


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II

He was going to kill Marti. Seriously. This was _supposed_ to be his weekend off, and he'd been planning on doing…absolutely _nothing_. Except maybe getting the hell out of town for a day or so just as a change of pace. Just to clear his head.

Then Marti pulls _this_ shit on him.

Squall fumed inwardly as he glared toward the bedroom where his client was still passed out. Damn girl. She acted like she hadn't a fucking clue what this was all about. And Squall suddenly had an absolutely sick feeling in his gut that maybe it _wasn't_ an act. Maybe she _didn't_ have a clue. But if that was the case, then why the hell was she even _there_? Most of his clients knew how the game was played and they had fun with it.

But _this_ girl…Squall got up and checked on her, finding her still out, and considered putting her dinner in the fridge until she woke up. That had to be the reason that she'd passed out. She was tired, her blood sugar was low, and she'd obviously been stressed as a result. That had to be it.

Then he swallowed, gazing down at her. Why, _why_ had Marti booked this girl with _him_?

_Because she wanted the personal defense package, because no one else could do that but me, and because she met my price and then some, just so I'd be available for her. _That's what he'd been _told_, anyway.

It was just his rotten luck that she was a petite, pretty brunette with big, soft doe eyes and flawless white skin. He'd always had a particular weakness for brunettes. Which was why he only booked blonds as his clients. It was easier for him to keep things professional that way.

He wasn't made _completely_ of stone, after all.

_No, just MOSTLY of stone,_ he thought bitterly.

He sighed and padded out of the bedroom to the kitchen, grabbed a beer from his fridge and returned to his original position on the couch. He opened the beer and took a long pull from it, and opened up his laptop again.

He spent the next few moments logging into his various investment accounts, tracking their progress. As long as the current trends held, he'd meet his goals and then…then he wouldn't have to do this side-job any more and he could just go back to being head of security. He'd have his retirement nest egg back and Ellone wouldn't have to feel so guilty about getting sick and wiping him out with her bills.

Still, it wasn't _all_ bad. He'd have been lying if he'd said that he didn't enjoy bedding a different, beautiful woman almost every weekend. He didn't actually mind that most of them were older, and the money he earned from a single weekend booking was nearly double his regular salary.

And really, it wasn't that much of a change from his former job as a SeeD mercenary. He was still selling his body for money. He was still a whore, as someone less charitable had once called him. The only real difference was the fact that he wasn't killing anyone and no one was trying to kill him.

And oddly, there were some that might consider this change in his professions to actually be an improvement.

Still, he'd needed this weekend off. He'd had his hands full with his legitimate job all goddamn week keeping the grounds secure, the paparazzi away from the perimeter and the privacy of the guests protected. He'd damn near gotten killed rescuing an idiot photographer from an attacking Torama the other day, only to have the bastard threaten to sue.

_Should have let the fucking cat eat him. _Squall thought darkly, taking another pull from his beer. He didn't however. He'd rescued the fool instead, escorted him from the property, quoting every law the shithead had broken along the way, and had gotten a lawsuit threat and a new scar out of the deal. Fucking fantastic.

But hey, at least their guests were protected. Torama were particularly adept at breaching the grounds, and for some reason they were insistent upon doing so. Probably because of the chocobo stables they had there. The big cats _loved_ chocobos.

Chances were, even if that idiot _hadn't_ been there, Squall would have had to kill the cat anyway. The fool was just lucky that Squall had found them before the Torama killed him. Not that the asshole had been _at all_ grateful.

Finished with his beer, Squall got up from the couch and tossed the empty bottle, then returned to his laptop to shut it down after a final glance at his emails. Yawning, he rubbed at his eyes, considering his current situation with regards to sleeping arrangements.

If the girl…if _Rinoa, _had been awake and aware, he'd have simply taken his side of the bed and left the other side to her…. and she could decide from there if she wanted anything besides sleep to happen. It made little difference to Squall. Either option was fine with him.

But she wasn't. And while Squall couldn't claim to be a gentleman... the mere thought that the term might be applied to him made him want to laugh... he wasn't an animal either.

Shrugging philosophically, he got up from the couch and went into his bedroom, glancing briefly at Rinoa before entering his bathroom to brush his teeth and get ready for bed. Once that was done, he deftly plucked the second pillow off the bed and got a light blanket from his linen closet on his way back to the living room. He was sleeping on the couch tonight.

* * *

Rinoa woke up feeling well rested…and famished. Yawning, she stretched and rolled over, wondering why she was still in her clothes, and why there was only one pillow on the otherwise gargantuan bed. Another person could have easily fit in the bed with her and with room to spare, but it looked like she'd been its only occupant.

That observation sparked her memory of the previous night and she bolted upright with a gasp. _She really was in the apartment of a gorgeous man who apparently came with her spa package! _ That simply defied logic. There _had_ to have been some kind of mistake, because she _knew_ Quistis and Selphie wouldn't have done this to her on purpose.

Throwing the light bedspread off, she leaped out of the bed and promptly tripped over her bags, which had been left on the floor next to it, landing on the floor with a thump and a quiet curse. She froze, heart pounding, wondering if the noise would bring Mister stud-for-hire into the room to investigate. When it didn't, she sighed in relief and scrambled to her feet, looking for her purse.

Upon finding it, she dug through it frantically until she found her cell phone…. and mentally kicked herself for forgetting to charge it before she'd left. And she wasn't sure she'd remembered to pack her charger. Growling in frustration, she smacked her forehead with the hand containing the phone several times, then chucked it back into the purse. Then she plopped back onto the edge of the bed with a sigh.

_Now_ what was she going to do? And where _was_ Mister Stud for Hire anyway?

_Leonhart. He said his name was Squall Leonhart. What an odd name. _ She thought, then she wondered why she'd awakened alone when he'd as much as told her that they'd be sharing his bed for the duration of her stay. Then she remembered.

"_I won't touch you until you ask me to."_ She hadn't asked him; indeed, she'd passed out and was unable to give any kind of consent at all. She thought about that for a long moment.

Nothing had to happen that she didn't want to happen. Mr. Leonhart…Squall… had told her that too. She heaved a heavy sigh of relief. Okay. She could do this. It was _still_ a spa, right? And regardless of Mr. Leonhart's _other_ duties, he was still her concierge in the classic sense of the term, and could still help her to avail herself of the spa's other, more legitimate offerings.

Considering her situation from that aspect, Rinoa began to feel better about it, and even a little bit excited at the prospect of being pampered like a princess for the first time in her life. All while enjoying the mouthwatering eye-candy that Mr. Leonhart provided.

Then she shook her head in amazement at that, thinking, _nice to know I'm not dead yet…_

Making a decision, she pounced on her luggage and tore it open, digging through the contents until she came up with the outfit that she wanted to wear that day, and then got up, stripped off and jumped into the shower.

Upon finishing, she wandered through the apartment looking for him, wondering where he'd disappeared to…again. The smell of coffee drew her like an irresistible lure into the kitchen. As she walked through the living room toward it, she glanced over at the couch and saw the matching pillow from Squall's bed on top of a folded bedspread on one end.

Well, that answered the question of where he'd slept the previous night.

Entering the kitchen, she poked through the cupboards until she found a coffee cup and gratefully poured herself a cup from the pot sitting in the coffeemaker. She took a deep breath and smiled in appreciation of its aroma. Mr. Leonhart apparently liked his coffee in a robust dark roast, and…Rinoa cast about, looking for some sugar, discovering instead a grinder that had apparently been used recently. That alone caused him to rise several levels in Rinoa's estimation of his character.

Nobody who liked his coffee freshly ground could be _all_ bad.

Finally finding the sugar, she put a couple of spoonfuls in, then looked around in the refrigerator for some milk, sighing when she couldn't find any. Apparently, Mr. Leonhart preferred his coffee black. Either that or he had simply run out and hadn't bothered to get any more milk.

While nosing through his refrigerator, she discovered that aside from the fact that he was well stocked with a rather expensive, imported brand of beer, he had also been nice enough to put her salad-and-soup dinner away on the off chance that she'd want to eat it.

Salad and soup however, was _not_ what Rinoa wanted to eat first thing in the morning for breakfast.

And she _still_ hadn't found Squall. She wondered if he'd left or something.

It was while she was leaning against the counter, sipping at her coffee, that she finally noticed the breeze ruffling the elegant, floor to ceiling curtains that obscured what had to be patio doors. She wondered how she could have missed the bright sunlight that the draperies couldn't quite hide, nor the fragrance of the breeze that blew through the opened door. The only thing that she could use to explain that was the fact that she'd been wholly focused upon getting her first cup of coffee that morning.

She figured that a balcony or patio lay on the other side of the door, and that Squall might possibly be found there. So she walked toward the opened glass door, pushing the curtains aside to duck through. Sure enough, Squall sat at a glass topped table drinking a cup of coffee and absently, methodically eating a bowl of grapes while absorbed in working on his laptop.

"Good morning." He greeted her without looking up.

"Uh... Good morning." Rinoa replied hesitantly, approaching the table and sitting down opposite him.

She glanced around at the patio, charmed by the understated elegance of the shaded, wrought iron and glass topped table, the similarly designed iron chairs topped with sturdy cushions, and the twin chaise lounges at one end of the patio area.

On the far side of the table sat a metal trolley with covered containers which Rinoa assumed contained Squall's…and her…. breakfast. Next to those containers was a small tray that contained what looked like a silver teapot or coffee carafe; another smaller pot for cream and a bowl that she assumed contained sugar. Another, small square container held packets of various types of sugar substitutes if that was what she preferred.

"Help yourself," Squall said. "I know you missed dinner. I had them bring up a little bit of everything, since I didn't know what you'd prefer. I would suggest that you keep it fairly light however. We're due at the gym in about an hour and a half."

Rinoa directed her attention back to him; frustrated when she couldn't read his expression due to the sunglasses he was wearing. Even as early as it appeared to be (though Rinoa really had no idea as she hadn't reset her watch yet) the sun was nearly blindingly bright. It gleamed off of the stainless steel containers that Rinoa found contained scrambled eggs, sausage, ham and bacon. Another of the containers held fresh fruits of various types, grapes, melon and strawberries among them.

She got up then and helped herself to a little bit of the egg and a lot of the fruit, particularly the melons and strawberries. After considering for a moment, she also appropriated a small bunch of deep red grapes as well. Carrying her plate on one hand, she then used her free hand to take the pot of cream with her, happily splashing a dollop into her coffee as she sat down.

As she settled down to eat, she gazed out over the balcony and finally noticed the view. A beautiful, virtually deserted white-sanded beach with clear, turquoise water beyond dominated the view. Sweet, cool breezes blew in over the sea and ruffled her hair back off her face and changed the morning temperature, which was edging toward hot, to pleasantly balmy instead. That same breeze carried with it the sound of the surf and the cries of the seabirds. Palm trees dotted the area just landward of the strip of sand, which ended far off to the right in a rocky finger of land that jutted out into the ocean. The view was stunning.

Then she returned her gaze to Squall, noting that he'd nearly finished his bowl of grapes. She watched in fascination as he carefully plucked one off of the stalk, rolled it between his long, graceful fingers, then appeared to carefully polish it upon the cloth napkin that sat on the table next to the bowl, before finally placing it in his mouth. That same, methodical action was repeated for each and every grape that he ate, though he seemed to scarcely be paying attention to it or to her. Instead he continued perusing the contents of his laptop, scrolling down the screen with one hand while still absently plucking and polishing grapes with the other.

_He_ provided another type of view, one easily as fascinating and alluring as the beach was. The breeze that combed through her hair riffled his as well, and the sun struck coppery sparks from the medium brown locks. It also glinted brilliantly off of the silvery chain that peeked above the neckline of his white tee shirt before disappearing inside of it, and the silver stud in his left ear.

As for his face…. well, the dark sunglasses hid a good portion of it, so Rinoa was unable to get a read on him. Not that he'd given her much to go on the night before anyway. He was… if not precisely _pleasant_, certainly not rude either. Instead his entire manner and attitude toward her was carefully neutral. Aloof. Almost detached. That puzzled her, given what his job entailed. She'd have thought he'd be _far_ more accommodating. More personable.

Instead, he barely acknowledged her presence and aside from the greeting he gave her when she first joined him, didn't talk to her. Perhaps he was still put off by the scheduling mishap that had taken his weekend away from him.

When the silence drew out to an uncomfortable (to her) degree, Rinoa finally ventured to ask him, "Why do we need to be in the gym in an hour?"

Without looking at her (that she could tell anyway), "You were booked with me because you'd expressed interest in self-defense and personal security. I teach that." Then he finally turned to face her and added, "You'll want to change into something that you can move comfortably in."

Rinoa frowned slightly and concentrated on eating her breakfast, saying, "Okay." Her outfit _was_ in fact very comfortable… it was a lightweight spaghetti strap cotton sundress in a predominantly blue floral print. But if she was going to be doing anything at all athletic, it was certainly impractical. She sighed and decided to dig out her gray yoga pants instead.

At least his statement about her pending self-defense course with him shed some light on how she came to be in his company. She'd mentioned wanting to do that to Selphie not long ago, and Selphie had apparently taken it to heart and engaged Mr. Leonhart's services, possibly deducing from the fee that he was _very_ good at what he did, not realizing that it went _far_ beyond just teaching a course.

"By the way, I teach in two-hour blocks. After we're done, you can do anything else here that you'd like. Just let me know what it is and I'll set it up for you." Squall told her.

"Okay. Now that you mention it, I'd love to do the whole spa thing: mud bath, mani-pedi, waxing, hair and skincare…all of that stuff." Rinoa said. Dammit, she was there to be pampered, and she had to start _somewhere_.

"Alright." Squall said, making some random taps on his laptop before saying, "I've reserved a four hour block for you after lunch today. We can go to dinner afterward if you like."

"Okay." Rinoa said, finishing off the last of her breakfast.

"Finished?" Squall asked her. When she nodded, he gestured to the trolley, "put the plate and utensils there, then go ahead and get changed. You may want to unpack as well, so you aren't tripping over your luggage."

Rinoa felt her cheeks warm at that and she stood up to put the dishes away, hoping he didn't see and wondering if he'd heard her less than elegant exit from his bed that morning. He didn't appear to be paying her any attention however, so she started toward the doorway.

Before she reached it, he said looked at his watch and said, "we leave in twenty minutes."

"Okay. Thank you." Rinoa said, ducking through and heading toward the bedroom.

Squall watched her leave; very thankful indeed that his dark sunglasses hid the way his eyes studied the curves on her slender body. The sundress she'd been wearing had in fact been very becoming on her, and it had taken all of his will and more not to look at her any more than he had to. His apparent absorption in his laptop was a ruse, a distraction. Oh, he _had_ been checking in on some key investments and checking email, but that had only taken a few minutes. He knew he was coming across as rude or indifferent, but he truly didn't know what else to do. He had a bad feeling that if he let her, she'd get under his skin. And it wouldn't be as hard for her to accomplish that as one might think.

Particularly if she kept looking at him like she had while eating breakfast.

For the first time, he actually began to worry about what might happen if she decided to avail herself of his _other_ services…

"Shit," he whispered to himself, then shut the laptop down and brought it indoors.

* * *

"So…um, how long have you been working here?" Rinoa asked, attempting to engage Squall in conversation. It wasn't as easy as she'd thought it was going to be. Either he didn't like her at all or he was just naturally taciturn. She really couldn't tell at this point, but she couldn't help trying to talk to him, if for no other reason than to try to quell the attacks of nervousness that kept sneaking up on her at various intervals.

Nervousness that intensified every time she looked at him. It was totally unfair for him to look so good in the white tee shirt and black canvas pants he was wearing. She'd thought for a moment that he was wearing the same pajama pants from the previous night, but soon realized that they were not. Instead, once she got a better look at them, they appeared to be part of the uniform that martial artists wore when practicing. Loose-fitting but sturdy, and tied at the waist with a drawstring. He'd obviously chosen the outfit for practicality rather than fashion…but Rinoa still had trouble finding her voice every time she looked in his direction, intending to say something.

They walked along in silence for a long moment, then Squall answered her, "Two years."

"Two years? As…as a concierge?" She asked him. He shook his head.

"No. I've only been doing that for a few months." He answered her.

Rinoa frowned, "Why? What did you do before?"

"I was and still am the head of security here. I needed extra money so I started doing the concierge thing, but only on the weekends." He answered her.

"What did you need the extra money for?" Rinoa asked curiously. Squall fell silent and Rinoa cringed inwardly. Okay, perhaps that was not a subject he cared to talk about.

They arrived at the gym immediately afterward, and Rinoa gazed around the place with interest as Squall led her inside to a smaller, wooden-floored space that looked like a dance studio.

"Wait here," he directed, as he continued on to a door to one side of the mirrored wall, opening it to reveal a storage closet. He pulled from the shelves there two long and two shorter rolled bundles, tucking them under one arm and shutting the door. Returning to where Rinoa stood, he put the bundles down, placing one each of the long and the short bundles at her feet.

Upon closer inspection, she finally figured out that the longer bundle was in fact a yoga mat, and the smaller one was a rolled up towel.

"You can just set those aside for now, we're not going to use them just yet." Squall told her.

"So, what are we going to do first then?" Rinoa asked. She'd never taken an actual self-defense course before, but she lived in a large city, and her father had become increasingly concerned for her safety now that she was alone again. And truthfully, she _was_ interested in defending herself.

"Warm up." Squall answered her, then he moved to face her and walked forward until he was close enough that she had to look up at him.

"Before we do that though, there's a few things you need to know: first off, when I'm in here, I'm serious. Serious about teaching you what you need to know in order to stay safe and to defend yourself. I want you to be serious about learning. No games here. If you want to play later that's fine but _not here_. Understand?" Squall's cold eyes bored into Rinoa's until she swallowed and nodded.

Squall raised one eyebrow and said, "I didn't hear that."

"I understand…sir?" Rinoa answered tentatively.

"Squall will do." He corrected her. Then he tilted his head to one side and studied her intently, asking, "Have you had any self-defense training at all?"

"A little," Rinoa admitted. "The free classes at the community center…" Her voice trailed off.

"I see." Squall said. Then he moved to stand beside her, just outside of arm's length.

"We're going to start with a warm up. Follow what I do, keep your movements slow and fluid. We'll gradually get faster but I want you to get the flow down first." Squall said, falling into instructor mode, something that he found surprisingly easy to do.

Rinoa did her best to mirror his movements, realizing that he'd stood beside her for that express purpose: to lead her through the exercise. At first, he just showed her the different stances and forms, moving her slowly from one position to the next, correcting her where it was needed. When he was satisfied that she had the forms down, then he started with the exercise itself.

There was no music, nothing to keep time or rhythm, but still, watching him flow gracefully through the different stances and forms, Rinoa couldn't help thinking of it as a sort of dance. When that thought lodged in her mind, she went with it and followed along with him. She caught his approving glance, and then she looked at the mirrored wall and almost gasped as she saw how they moved in perfect tandem. It was beautiful.

Then he gradually stepped up the tempo until she was just starting to break a light sweat and gasp for air. When he saw that she appeared to be warmed up enough he called a halt and moved to face her.

"Okay, I think that's good enough. Let's do some stretches. Make sure we're ready for this, because I don't want you to get hurt." Squall said, leading her through several different routines until she felt loose and limber.

Shaking his arms and legs out, he asked her, "Everything feel good? Loose and ready to work?"

"Yes," Rinoa answered, shaking her arms and legs out as well.

"Good. Now here's the second thing that you need to know: if at any point you feel uncomfortable or hurt, either tap me or tell me to stop." Squall instructed her seriously.

"Okay." Rinoa nodded.

"Alright. Here we go." Squall said.

Before Rinoa could blink, Squall was on her, wrapping her up in a chokehold that held her motionless. Fear drove the air from her lungs and made her heart pound painfully.

"What is your first instinct when you're attacked?" Squall asked her, lips close to her ear.

It took her a moment to realize that she could breathe, that Squall wasn't _actually_ trying to strangle her. His forearm _was_ across her throat and if she moved even a little she could feel a shock go right through to the base of her skull.

Finally, she took a deep, shaky breath and answered, "Escape. Get away."

"Right. And if you try, what happens?" he asked her.

She tried. She swore he never tightened his hold at all, didn't move, but _her_ movements pushed his arm more firmly into her throat, into that particular pressure point that it rested against, causing black spots to dance before her watering eyes.

"You get hurt." She answered.

"Exactly." Squall replied. "An attacker will be prepared for you to attempt escape. To get away. He won't be prepared for you to step into him, pull him in closer. That will put him off balance and allow you to inflict some serious damage. Once he's on the ground, _then_ you can escape." He released her then, and stepped to the side of her.

"So, here's what you do," he told her, taking a stance. "Drive the elbow back into the ribs, then bring the fist down into the groin. Step back, scrape your heel down his shin and stomp the instep. _Hard_." He showed Rinoa the movements and directed her to try them herself, correcting her when she needed it.

"Good, looks like you got it. Want to try it from the choke? Remember to tap if you're uncomfortable or anything." Squall told her.

Rinoa swallowed, suddenly apprehensive. His first attack was so unexpected it had actually frightened her. He'd moved so fast she hadn't even seen him until his arm was across her throat and his body was pressed intimately against hers. But then, that was the whole point of this instruction. She wouldn't be expecting an attack so she'd have to learn how to deal with it, not only physically, but mentally as well.

And that was why Rinoa had wanted to study this in the first place. She didn't want to be a victim, didn't want to be afraid. She'd always been one to fight rather than flee, and so she'd wanted to learn the skills she'd need to give a good accounting for herself.

So she took a deep breath and nodded, saying, "Okay."

This time, when he attacked, she was ready for him. As his arm came across her throat, she stepped back, colliding with his body and using her momentum to drive her elbow into his ribcage, while simultaneously scraping her foot down his shin and stomping on his instep. Finally she brought her arm down and slammed the balled fist into his groin. And…. nothing happened.

Oh, she'd felt the whoosh of his breath when she'd elbowed him, but virtually nothing else. Not surprising really, considering the man was solid muscle. And slamming the fist into the groin? Also not achieving expected results either, as she slammed it right into what she guessed had to be a cup, judging by the hollow knock she heard. On the bright side, he _did_ loosen the choke-hold. But if it had been a _real_ attack, she'd have been dead.

"Not bad," he said, unperturbed by her efforts. He let go of her and stepped away for a moment, studying her.

"Did I even hurt you?" She asked, biting her lip.

"Not really, but if I hadn't been wearing a cup, I'd be spending the remainder of the evening with an icepack on my balls." He replied with a slight quirk to his lips.

Then he narrowed his eyes and muttered, "I'm going about this all wrong. Wait here a moment." Without any further comment, he walked back to the storage closet and came out with what looked like a padded shield.

"What's that?" Rinoa asked him curiously.

"You need to learn how to punch. You don't have enough power in your blows to do anything really but piss off your opponent, which would completely negate the whole idea of 'self-defense'. You want to learn how to defend yourself, not get yourself killed." Squall stated, setting the item down.

Then he approached her and said, "Make a fist." When she did, he took her wrist and examined it critically, then shook his head.

"Relax your hand." He shook her fist until her hand relaxed. "Like this." He said, curling her fingers into her palm and tucking the thumb over the top of them. "Now, squeeze." He placed his hand over the taut, bony little fist that she'd made, and nodded his approval.

"Good. Now punch my hand." He ordered, placing it palm up, facing her. She did, smacking her hand solidly into the palm.

"Not bad. But try this," he said coming to stand beside her. "Balance your weight on both feet and bring your hands up, like so." He showed her what he meant, and she copied him. "Good. Now you use that foundation to power the punch. Use your body, not just your arm, and breathe out when you do it." He showed her, and she tried it.

They worked like that for several minutes, Squall drilling her on various punches and strikes until Rinoa was dripping sweat and beginning to tire. Then he picked up his padded shield and stood directly in front of her with it.

"Punch this as hard as you can. Right here." he pointed to the center. "Try to make me step back or put me off balance." He set his feet until he was rock-solid, and urged her, "Go."

Rinoa took a deep breath, set her feet like she'd seen Squall do, brought her fists up and punched at the target with all her might. Squall didn't budge.

"Again." She took another breath, and then exhaled as she threw the punch. It impacted the target solidly, but Squall still didn't move.

"Good. Again." Another punch. Better this time, she could feel it.

"Again."

Her focus narrowed onto just the target and her punching. Each time Squall urged her to do another; she did her best to hit harder than the time before. It was tiring her out, but she could see that her punches were getting better. Squall still hadn't shifted, was still solid on his feet, but Rinoa didn't care. She just kept pummeling the bag for all she was worth.

"Harder!" Squall urged her, and she did her best to comply.

"Another! Harder!" she growled under her breath and threw everything she had at him, rocking him back and forcing him to shift to regain his balance.

"Okay, that's good." Squall said. "Now use that. We don't have enough time for me to really teach you much but the very, very basics, but a good, solid punch is one of the most important. An attacker won't expect a tiny little thing like you to even know _how_ to punch, let alone throw one that's solid enough to back him up, maybe even put him on the ground if you hit him right. That element of surprise could save your life. Now, there are some very important targets that you want to concentrate on."

He proceeded to show her, starting with his nose. "The bridge of the nose. You do a palm-heel strike, like so," he showed her, driving his hand upward, using the heel as the striking point. "It'll shatter the nose, sending bones and cartilage into the brain. It's a killing stroke if done right. Here," he tapped his throat at his adam's apple. "Hit hard enough here, it also can disable or kill. The eyes; rake them with your nails to discourage any attacker and he _will_ back off. And of course, there's this," he tapped at his cup, causing Rinoa's cheeks to warm. "An attacker with rape on his mind won't be wearing one. Hit, kick or knee him there as hard as you can and he'll drop like a rock. Then you can run."

He went on to show her other vulnerable points and the most effective techniques to attack them with, working with her until he was satisfied. The entire time that he was instructing her however, he had to remind himself to focus on what he was teaching her. The scent of her hair, the pretty flush on her cheeks as she exerted herself, the sparkle in her brown eyes, the way her slim body felt against his…it distracted him. Fascinated him. Aroused him.

He'd never been more attracted to a client before in his life, and he waffled between hopeful eagerness that she'd take advantage of _all_ of his duties…and worry about what would result if she did. She was _too_ pretty, and he was _too_ interested. _Damn Marti for sending her to me!_

Hard as he tried to focus on his instruction, his attraction still affected him enough that it yielded unfortunate results.

"Okay, Rinoa. You want to try the choke one more time?" He asked her.

"Yeah!" she nodded confidently. "Let's do it!"

Squall attacked, and she was ready for him. As soon as his forearm came across her throat, choking her painfully, she did as he'd taught her. She stepped back, scraping her foot down his shin and stomping the instep, while simultaneously jabbing into Squall's ribs with her elbow and then bringing her fist down in a hammer strike right to his groin. Knowing that he was protected, Rinoa slammed it as hard as she could, and froze in surprise when Squall abruptly let go.

"Shit!" Rinoa whirled around and gasped as she saw Squall bent double and cursing, face pale.

"Oh my gosh! Did I hurt you? I thought you were protected!" she exclaimed, hand over her mouth.

"I am….I was…" Squall managed, then took a deep breath. "It…shifted." There was no way he was going to tell her that she'd aroused him to the point that his cup had been largely ineffective. Of course, _that_ was no longer a problem, thanks to Rinoa's proper execution of a hammer strike.

"Are you going to be okay?" Rinoa approached him, cheeks pink and her bottom lip caught in her teeth.

_Dammit girl! You're too damn cute for your own good!_

"Yeah," he grunted, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. "I just need a minute."

"Are you sure?" she pressed.

Squall nodded, "Yeah. That was a good solid hit by the way. If I hadn't been wearing the cup, I'd be on the ground in a fetal position right about now. It hurts like hell but not as bad as it might have been otherwise."

"So, um…no icepacks tonight?" Rinoa asked him. Squall wanted to laugh suddenly.

Instead, he quirked a small smile and asked her, "Why, worried about my performance later?"

Her face reddened further and she stammered, "N..no…I just…uh…" She gulped and took a deep breath. "I…I was just worried I'd hurt you…"

"I'm okay," He assured her, then glanced at his watch. "But I think we're done here."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III

After Squall led Rinoa through a routine of stretching to cool down, she realized that she really was very tired and hungry after her exertions, and she also desperately wanted a shower. That left her a little bit worried: how would they work out the showering arrangements? Would Squall expect to be included? Given the interesting configuration of his shower, which was extra large with a head at each end, it was a possibility.

She swallowed, cheeks growing warm at the images that conjured. No. There was no way. Devastatingly sexy or not, she simply couldn't bring herself to get naked with a virtual stranger. She hoped he'd understand.

As she stood there worrying about that little dilemma, Squall put the items away that he'd gotten out for their training session and approached her, saying, "it's nearly lunchtime, and I for one would like to get cleaned up before we eat."

"Um…do we…. Have to shower together?" Rinoa asked, cheeks deepening in color from pink to rose to bright red.

Squall tilted his head and studied her in veiled amusement, fascinated by the color changes her fair skin displayed. Then he frowned slightly, wondering again why she was there. Something about her reactions to him seemed a little off and it nagged at the back of his mind. Most of his clients were far bolder, particularly after a workout like the one they'd just finished. There was more than one occasion where they hadn't even made it to the shower.

Perhaps it was because she was much younger than the women he normally saw. Maybe that played a part in her shyness around him. Whatever the reason, Squall decided he'd do his best to put her at ease and let her decide if she wanted anything more than a simple spa weekend.

It wouldn't be the first time. Not every woman that contracted him as her concierge wanted sex. Sometimes, they really just wanted the self-defense instruction. It was just an added bonus to them that their instructor, in addition to being scarily competent, was also young and handsome. Sometimes, all his clients wanted was the fantasy…. going home to their husbands afterwards with a clear conscience and the smug satisfaction of having withstood temptation.

Finally, Squall answered her, "Not if you don't want to. In fact, why don't you go on to the room and take your shower. I'll clean up down here in the locker room."

Rinoa sighed in relief, "Thank you. I'm sorry I've put you out…"

"Don't worry about it," Squall said noncommittally. "If you like, we can catch up later over lunch before you go to the spa."

"Okay. I'd like that. What time is the appointment?" she asked him.

"Two o'clock." He answered.

"Okay," She nodded, and then turned to leave. She got two steps, patted at the rear pocket of her pants, exclaimed, "Oh, darn!" stopped and turned around to see Squall silently holding out his keycard.

She laughed softly in embarrassment and said, "Thanks." The she took it from him and turned and left.

Squall watched her go for a moment, thinking that it was just as well that she preferred showering alone, and that he was going to be cleaning up in the locker room rather than his apartment. At least he didn't have to hear her showering and think about what she might look like with water beading on her creamy white skin….

He growled under his breath, grabbed his gym bag and stalked toward the locker room for a cold shower.

The shock of the cold water hitting his skin was more than enough to cool him off. Once he'd regained his focus, he gradually warmed the water up, quickly washing and rinsing himself.

_She's just a client. _He told himself_, that's all. And it looks like all you'll have to do is set up her appointments, teach a couple of self-defense classes and make sure she's taken care of. She doesn't seem interested in anything else. So just focus on that and before you know it, she'll be on a plane back to Galbadia. _

By the time he had dried off and started dressing, his armor was back.

* * *

Rinoa meanwhile, had plenty to think about while showering. She had expected the self-defense class to be physically draining; that sort of thing came with the territory. And while she only had a two-day crash course in it, she could already tell that Squall was very, very good at what he was teaching her. She wondered at that. Yes, he was head of security there, but that alone couldn't account for his skill. Nor for that matter, did it account for the scars she'd seen on his body.

Her guess was that he was ex-military, perhaps from some type of Special Forces unit or something. That brought her thoughts around to the tattoo on his shoulder. Allyn had worked with special units before, and those that he could talk to her about, he did. For the most part, the special units that had been used were different divisions within the Galbadian Army, and according to Allyn, they all had their own designations. And yeah, a lot of them _did_ tattoo their unit names and badges on their shoulders as a mark of their brotherhood.

Something about the marking on his shoulder seemed familiar, but Rinoa couldn't place it right at the moment. Perhaps she would ask him about it at lunch, assuming he'd be willing to talk about it.

Hopefully he would. It was sure to be a conversational topic distracting enough to prevent her from being mesmerized by his clear aquamarine eyes, or thinking about how warm his body had felt against hers. Maybe it would help her to forget how he'd smelled, how his hair had tickled her cheek, how his warm breath had puffed against her ear when he'd spoken into it….

She shook her head in frustration. He'd been _training_ her. _Teaching_ her. At no time during that session had he even come _close_ to anything inappropriate. For all she knew, he wasn't even interested. He'd said he preferred blonds, so it was highly unlikely that he even found her attractive. That _should_ have relieved her. It didn't.

Sighing in exasperation, Rinoa flipped the tap over to cold and gasped, as she was drenched in icy water, leaving her shivering in reaction. There. That should shock her out of the urge to put on her prettiest dress and slick a bit of gloss on her lips and mascara on her eyelashes.

Turning off the shower, she stepped out and dried off. In defiance of her earlier impulse, she chose a pair of black shorts, a black tank top and a blue cotton chambray shirt to wear over the tank. The silver necklace with her mother's platinum wedding band on it rested in its usual place around her neck. Finally, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

Licking at her dry lips however caused Rinoa to finally cave in to the drier climate of Esthar and slick on some lip-gloss, just to keep her lips from getting chapped.

Checking the mirror one last time, Rinoa was satisfied. NO makeup, aside from the lip gloss, hair in a ponytail, regular clothes…she was pretty sure that she was far from alluring. Certainly not like the blond bombshells Squall presumably enjoyed on a regular basis.

She exited the bedroom to find Squall seated on his couch, attention once again riveted to his laptop computer. She wondered what he was doing that had him so interested in it.

Clearing her throat softly, she said, "Sorry if I took too long…"

"Don't worry about it. Are you ready to go?" He asked her, finally closing the laptop down and looking up…and trying hard not to react to the sudden punch of …something… that hit him right in the guts as he met her gaze.

She wasn't wearing any makeup, wasn't primped and polished and wearing jewels or designer clothes. In fact, it appeared she had dressed for comfort rather than to impress him. But her fresh, flawless complexion, her soft brown eyes and her raven-black hair needed no enhancement. Her natural beauty was more than enough to leave him speechless.

Just like that, the armor he'd managed to put back into place just moments ago, was breached.

_What the hell is wrong with me? _He thought in sudden frustration, forcibly shoving those feelings aside and doing his best to tamp them down and ignore them. Letting out a quiet breath, he swallowed, then got up and silently led the way to the resort's restaurant.

"You know," Rinoa said as they walked. "You don't have to eat lunch with me if you don't want to."

Squall glanced over at her and replied, "I'm hungry too. Might as well have company."

"Oh." She said in a small voice. "Okay."

They walked in silence, with Rinoa thinking up and discarding several different topics in an effort to get _some_ sort of conversation going. It was pretty obvious that Mr. Leonhart was not a terribly chatty person and was unlikely to initiate anything from his end. She wanted to ask him about his tattoo, about how he came to be at this resort and a million other inconsequential things, but didn't want to come across as nosy or prying.

But, at the same time, he was a mystery to her, and had piqued her curiosity. Something that hadn't happened since she met, become engaged to and tragically lost Allyn. She'd been so lost in her pain and loneliness, had missed him so desperately, that the world outside her own little bubble of solitude had ceased to exist.

If she gained nothing else from this weekend that her friends had so generously gifted to her, it was the realization that the world did in fact exist and it had moved on. And she had to as well. And there were worse things than being in the company of an undeniably attractive man to provide the impetus to move forward with her life. The fact that she even found him attractive told her right there that she had finished mourning Allyn.

It was truly ironic that the man didn't even appear to be interested in her, despite his rather frank description of his job the previous night.

It was just as well, she decided. She hadn't actually come to this place for that anyway. Right? _Right?_

Just once however, a secret part of her wanted to throw caution to the wind and take everything that this sexy stranger offered her. What harm would come of it? It wasn't likely that they'd ever see each other again once she went home to Deling City. And dammit, Rinoa had been the "good girl" all of her life, and it had left her feeling both lonely and empty.

_What the hell is wrong with me? _She wondered. Maybe she needed another cold shower.

"Rinoa?" Squall's voice broke into her reverie and she looked up to see him studying her intently.

"Yes?" she responded.

"We're here. Did you want to sit inside or out on the patio?" He asked her.

"Outside. It's so lovely today, and the grounds here are just gorgeous." She answered.

He nodded and spoke softly to the waiter, who led them through the dining room, through a pair of glass doors and out into what looked like a garden. They were seated at a table next to a brilliantly colorful display of tropical flowers and plants, with a nearby fountain providing the soothing sounds of splashing and tinkling water.

Rinoa looked around and tried her best to absorb everything that she was seeing. It was all so beautiful, every bit as beautiful as she'd hoped it would be. What she didn't expect however was that the man sitting across from her would eclipse that beauty.

"What would you like?" he was asking her. Rinoa blinked, mesmerized by his crystalline azure eyes. She'd thought them beautiful last night when she'd seen them glaring icily at her, but they'd been hidden by sunglasses this morning. She didn't know why he'd removed them as they sat down for lunch, but seeing his eyes now in daylight… they were just stunning.

Finally, she tore her gaze away and stared blindly at the menu for a moment, cheeks warm, before mumbling, "um… I don't know…what do you like?"

"The seafood's good. It's caught fresh daily." He answered her.

Returning her attention to him, asked him, "Do you have a favorite dish?"

"Grilled sea bass. It's quite good." Squall informed her.

"Then I'll give it a try." she smiled at him, brown eyes sparkling.

Squall swallowed and took a sip of cold water to try and settle himself. That smile… and Gods, those soft, _beautiful_ brown eyes…Oh, he was in serious trouble.

Fortunately the waiter provided a welcome diversion as Squall ordered their meals, asking Rinoa what she'd like to drink. She opted for iced tea. He was tempted to order a shot of rum. Or Estharian bourbon. Straight up. No ice. _ Might as well have them leave the whole damn bottle…_

He was _tempted_ to. But he didn't. The only thing _that_ would accomplish would be his transformation into a complete asshat. There was a _reason_ that Squall drank only _lightly_. He ordered a beer instead.

"So, um… I've been meaning to ask you," Rinoa began hesitantly, breaching the increasingly awkward silence that had descended.

"Ask me what?"

"What did you do before you came here? How did you end up doing this job?" Rinoa asked curiously.

Squall raised his eyebrows and set his glass of water down, asking her in turn, "Why do you want to know?"

Rinoa smiled slightly at his cagey answer. Yes, definitely ex military, and either special branch or intelligence, considering how guarded he was. How little of his personal information he revealed.

Caraway hadn't let too much of his personal life become impacted by his job as the general of the Galbadian army. But Rinoa had been dragged to the occasional social function that her father had to attend as his escort, and had met some of the people he worked with. She got to the point where she could spot the intelligence officers, the spies, and the elite soldiers that he sometimes came in contact with. She even remembered one such function where some special invitees had caused quite a stir. Mercenaries.

Recalling that event, Rinoa remembered how they'd entered in a tight-knit group, as immaculately attired as everyone else in their own dress uniforms. But each one of them was lean and hard, cold-eyed and dangerous looking…and _young_, early twenties at most. She couldn't help thinking that her father had invited a pack of wolves to the banquet. She'd learned later that they were the legendary and fearsome SeeD mercenaries that her father had met with and contracted for some purpose that she wasn't privy to, a fact that had relieved her. She didn't want to know.

Then it struck her. Squall's tattoo. It was virtually the same as the badges the SeeDs had worn that evening.

"I was just curious." She answered his question, and then asked him, "You were a SeeD, weren't you?"

Squall blinked. He hadn't thought she'd recognize the insignia on his shoulder. Most women didn't.

Finally he answered, "Yes. I was."

"It took me a while to figure it out. I'd seen that emblem before, I just couldn't place it right away." Rinoa commented.

"You'd seen it before?" Squall asked her, wondering how. Certainly not in a professional capacity, unless she'd had occasion to hire a SeeD. Most people who came in contact with SeeDs in a professional context ended up dead. She didn't look the type to contract an assassination, and it didn't appear that she'd need a bodyguard either. She wasn't famous or notorious or anything that he could discover that would require that type of security.

"Yes. My father would occasionally hire SeeDs if certain situations required it." Rinoa responded.

"Your father?" Squall asked, becoming curious.

"General Fury Caraway." Rinoa answered.

"I see." Squall said. Their food and drinks arrived then and he was inclined to let the subject drop, not willing to pursue any further discussion of Rinoa's parentage. That could lead to a question of _his_ parentage, something he preferred not to talk about. Mainly because for _him_, all he had regarding that subject _were_ questions.

He was glad of the timely distraction provided by the meal, because it also provided a new conversational direction.

"This is really good," Rinoa commented as she took a bite of the fish.

"It is." Squall agreed, beginning to eat his own meal. It wasn't as good as Balamb fish, Squall's favorite, but since they didn't populate the waters this far south, the sea bass was a fairly good substitute.

Silence reigned for a little while, then Rinoa asked him again, "So, how did you come to be here?"

Squall took a sip of his beer, and then said, "Maybe I wanted to live to reach thirty."

"You're not sure?" Rinoa asked, confused by his non-answer.

He quirked his lips and said, "The jury's still out."

"So…you haven't actually left SeeD then, have you? Not really. This job is just an interim thing while you think about what you really want out of life. Is that it?" Rinoa asked him.

Squall frowned slightly at her insight. It wasn't the actual reason he'd left SeeD, not initially. He'd left to take care of Ellone. She was all he had, his only family. But she was in remission now, and had been for months. He could have gone back to Balamb, to his old job, if he'd wanted to. Cid would have welcomed him back, and even restored him to his former rank if he'd asked.

But he hadn't.

He took another sip of his beer and finally answered her, "yes."

Rinoa suddenly tilted her head and smiled at him, eyes sparkling, and said, "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"What do you mean?" Squall frowned at her, confused.

"Answering a question. It's called conversation Squall." Rinoa said, still smiling. Then she shook her head, commenting, "You know, for someone whose job it is to interact with clients on a personal level, you seem rather reluctant to actually _converse_ with them."

"Most of my clients would rather I simply listened." Squall said.

"So you let the women do all the talking?" Rinoa asked.

"Pretty much. Seems to work better that way." He answered.

"And do you actually listen?" Rinoa asked him.

"Of course I do. If I want to know what my client wants from me, I have to pay attention and listen." Squall answered.

"Don't they just tell you? Isn't that what part of your job entails? Catering to whatever fantasies your client may have?" Rinoa asked him curiously.

"Some do have a specific scenario in mind. Some don't. Some aren't even interested in anything physical, they just want to be paid attention to." Squall told her.

Rinoa sighed, "How sad must their lives be, that they'd have to pay someone to do that."

Squall shrugged in response. For the most part, he cared little for what motivated his clients to come to him. He strove to keep everything in the here and now, and so did they. Whatever pressures they had to deal with, whatever issues they had with their significant others, that all could be forgotten for a brief moment out of time. They didn't care to hear his life story, and he didn't want to hear theirs. It was all about feeling good for a few hours, or a couple of days, and forgetting about the outside world for a while.

Squall could understand that concept completely.

An awkward silence fell as Squall declined any sort of comment on Rinoa's opinion. Instead, he took another sip of his beer and concentrated on his meal. He focused on that, trying hard not to wonder what she was doing there in the first place, and what, if anything, she wanted from him…. and trying even harder not to think about what _he_ wanted from _her_.

"What…uh…what time is my appointment with the spa again?" Rinoa ventured tentatively, striving again to fill the silence that had fallen.

"Two." Squall reminded her.

"Where is it anyway? This place is so huge…"Rinoa asked him, looking around.

"I'll show you." He assured her.

"Oh. Okay, thank you." Rinoa finished the last few bites of her lunch and set her plate aside.

"You were right," she said. "The grilled sea bass was quite good."

"It's not Balamb fish, but it'll do as a native approximation of it." Squall commented.

"So, you're from Balamb. I thought I'd recognized the accent but it's very faint. You must have left it some time ago." Rinoa said.

"Two years." Squall said.

"Only two years? But it's all but gone!" Rinoa exclaimed.

Squall shrugged, "It _was_ gone, two years ago. It's started to come back."

"But, why?" Rinoa frowned at him. "I've always liked it, it's a lovely way of speaking."

Squall shrugged. "SeeD. Can't be pegged as being from anywhere if you don't have an accent to give it away."

"Well, that makes sense I suppose… it's interesting though, that it's coming back. Why, do you suppose? Particularly after you actively worked at eliminating it." Rinoa wondered.

"There are a lot of people here from Balamb. I guess I've just started falling into old patterns from association with them." Squall responded.

"I'll bet your clients like it." Rinoa said, smiling to hide the odd pang that struck her at the thought of him being with someone else. It was silly. She barely knew him. Besides, what did it matter what he'd done in the past and with whom?

Squall shrugged at that, "you're the first that's mentioned it."

Lunch completed, the server provided a pause as he came and removed their plates. As he did, he asked if they needed any refills on their drinks. Rinoa declined, as did Squall. After he left, Rinoa checked her watch, noting that she had more than an hour until her appointment.

"Is the spa very far from here?" Rinoa asked Squall.

"Not really." He answered.

"We've got some time to kill, would you mind showing me around a little bit as we head over there?" Rinoa asked him.

Squall tilted his head for a moment, studying her and considering her request. The resulting quizzical expression struck Rinoa as humorous and she was hard-put not to laugh.

"All right then. Let's go." He finally agreed, standing up.

"Thanks!" Rinoa beamed happily, jumping to her feet.

* * *

They strolled through the grounds, with Squall acting the part of tour guide to show her various points of interest. He showed her where she might find the pool if she were inclined to swim, the board shop near the beach if she wanted to surf or snorkel, the tennis, volleyball, badminton and basketball courts if she was interested in sports, tossing in a quick visit to the chocobo stables before finally ending up at the spa.

As he walked with her and answered her questions about the place, he couldn't help but feel his mood lifting at her obvious appreciation of the beauty of her surroundings. Tropical plants and flowers in the various types of gardens there that Squall had grown used to seeing were now viewed in a new light. The meditation garden in particular, with its air of peace and serenity, reminded him of how long it had been since he'd visited there.

When he'd first arrived at the resort, he'd gone there every morning, finding some desperately needed peace as he dealt with a lifetime's worth of conditioning for war and his sister's desperate fight for her life. Now those twin pressures had resolved themselves and Squall hadn't felt the need for it…. not until now, that was.

Rinoa's beautiful smile seemed to light up the entire world, causing her soft brown eyes to sparkle. The sun's golden light brought out blue sparks in her gleaming black hair, and a pretty rose flush to her cheeks as she walked with him, the tropical heat being more than she was used to. Given that it was March with winter just ending in Galbadia, Squall wasn't surprised.

But it was her fresh, uncomplicated, pure beauty that left Squall more than a little unsettled, wondering if maybe a bit of time spent alone in the mediation garden wouldn't help him find his center again. Restore his equilibrium.

Maybe.

As he showed her to the door of the spa she looked up at him, smiling so sweetly it made his heart thump painfully, and said, "Thank you Squall. This place is so lovely. How I envy you living and working here."

Squall frowned slightly and asked her, "You don't…. have a problem with what I do for a living here?"

At this, Rinoa frowned and bit her lip, then answered slowly, "Well, as to that… I suppose I'd have more of a problem if that were _all_ that you did. But it isn't, and…I don't know, it just seems that there's more to you than just _that_."

Squall stared at her, unsure of how to respond. In one form or another, he'd been a whore for most of his life. Selling his body and by extension the combat skills it contained as a mercenary, killing and running the risk of being killed, or selling his sexual prowess. Either way he was selling his body, and there were certain perceptions that went along with that. Certain judgments that some people cast his way when he told them what he did for a living. Sometimes he was okay with the way he was viewed. Sometimes, he wasn't.

Clearing his throat, he finally said, "It's nearly time for your appointment."

Rinoa nodded, "Right. So um… I guess I'll see you later?"

"If you want. We could go to dinner when you're done here, or really, anything else that you want to do." Squall replied.

Rinoa dropped her gaze to her feet for a moment, then raised it to meet his, smiling shyly. "I'd like that."

They simply stared at each other for an awkward moment, then Squall reached for the door handle and said, "Here. You can just meet me back at the room when you're done."

Rinoa nodded and he pulled the door open for her. She stepped inside, feeling suddenly very alone without Squall's presence. She wondered about that as she approached the reception desk, taking in the spa's elegant décor as she did: green painted walls, oatmeal colored wool carpeting, light-stained wood furnishings, and live tropical plants and flowers everywhere.

"May I help you?" the receptionist asked.

Rinoa directed her attention back to the attractive young woman and said, "I'm here for my appointment. I'm Rinoa Heartilly."

"Rinoa Heartilly?" The young woman asked, and when Rinoa nodded confirmation, she flipped open an appointment calendar and ran a perfectly manicured finger down a hand written list of names, finally stopping. "Ah, here we are. Right on time."

Tapping quickly on the keys of her computer, the receptionist asked, "We have you scheduled for a full spa treatment today, right? Mineral mud bath and facial, manicure and pedicure, waxing, hair and makeup too, correct?"

"Yes," Rinoa confirmed.

"Very good. Well, if you'll follow me, we'll get you started." The young woman got up from her seat at the reception desk and showed Rinoa to a pair of double doors beyond, pushing them open and escorting her through to what looked like a fairly standard salon. Another young woman, carrying what looked like a rolled up towel and another rolled bundle of cloth in a pretty green color, awaited them.

"Rinoa? This is Callie. She'll be your aesthetician today. Just follow her and she'll take care of you." The receptionist said, adding with a brilliant smile, "Have fun!"

"Thank you." Rinoa smiled, and the receptionist left Rinoa alone with the aesthetician.

The girl smiled at her and said, "Follow me, Miss Heartilly." She turned and led Rinoa further into the recesses of the spa, ushering her down a hallway floored in the same wool carpeting as the lobby.

As they walked, the girl asked her, "So, you're doing the mudbath and facial first, so you'll want to get undressed in one of our changing rooms here and put on this robe. When you're done I'll help you with the rest of it."

Rinoa frowned slightly and asked, "So, I'm just going to get naked and roll around in a vat of mud?"

The girl, Callie, laughed, "Yes, essentially. But it's actually a mineral clay solution. Very smooth, not gritty at all. It'll draw out any impurities in your skin, and it's got just enough grit to exfoliate and clarify it as well without irritation. Some of our clients will sit in the sauna for a bit to open up their pores before getting in the mudbath to sort of enhance the effect."

"Should I do that then?" Rinoa asked her.

Callie studied her for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I wouldn't recommend it in your case. Your skin is already quite lovely, and if you're not used to the heat, a sauna can actually be dangerous for you. You've just come in from Deling, right?"

"Yes." Rinoa answered.

"And it's still pretty cool there. So you don't need to do the sauna." She stated.

They reached an area that reminded Rinoa a bit of a locker room to a gym or public pool, though much, much cleaner and brighter. There were lockers set into one wall, all of them painted in a shade of red that reminded her of a fading sunset. The floors and bottom portion of the walls were all done in white ceramic tile, with whimsical patterns of flowers and sea creatures on the floors in a non-slip material to prevent injury.

Gesturing to the curtained alcoves along the other side of the room, Callie told her, "You can undress here, then place your clothing and other belongings into one of these lockers. The key is already in the lock, and there's a safety pin on the end so you can attach it to your robe. When you've done that, just go through those doors there and I'll meet you on the other side."

"Thank you," Rinoa smiled at her, and the girl smiled back and left through the doors she'd just indicated.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV

After Squall saw Rinoa off to her spa appointment, he stared bemusedly at the closed door, wondering what to do next. He had four hours to himself and for the first time, couldn't think of a damn thing to do. All he could think about was the pretty girl on the other side of the spa's door…. whose smile could melt a polar icecap.

_Stop it! _He told himself severely. _She's not even interested, and even if she was, she's not your type, remember?_ He remembered all right. And he knew he was lying to himself. She _was_ his type.

She was also his client, and until she told him otherwise, he was simply helping her to enjoy her stay at the spa.

_So focus on that and forget about the other stuff. _ He thought, starting back to his room. Right. Piece of cake.

As he walked, he did his best to think about some personal things that he should take care of as well. A load of laundry perhaps, maybe give Ellone a call to see how she was doing and apologize, again, for not being able to visit, make dinner reservations and make sure his suit was clean. Busywork, really. Anything to keep him occupied and distracted.

His phone started ringing when he got to his room and he answered it with a smile, knowing who it was already.

"Hi Sis. I was just thinking about calling you." He told her, opening the door.

She laughed, "sorry I beat you to it. How's work going?"

Closing the door behind him, he sank down onto his couch with a sigh, leaned back into the cushions and stared sightlessly at the ceiling as he answered, "Its work. Why do you ask?"

"No more Torama attacks I hope. That last one was scary." Ellone said, worry plain in her voice.

"No sis. And it wasn't that bad. I've got a good supply of healing potions here so there's really nothing to worry about." Squall reassured her.

"So, what are you doing now?" Ellone asked him.

"Well, right now, I think I'm going to wash a load of clothes, call in some reservations for dinner tonight…" he answered.

"You have a date?" Ellone asked him eagerly. Squall sighed.

"No Elle. A client." Squall answered her.

"Is she cute?" Ellone asked him hopefully. Squall frowned. The concept that Squall was selling his services part time as a concierge/lover was one that Ellone still seemed to have difficulty with. This despite the fact that she'd lived in Esthar for longer than Squall had.

In Esthar, prostitution was legal, so long as the practitioner was licensed, as Squall was. Moreover, there was no more stigma attached to _that_ profession than there was to an ordinary job digging ditches or shuffling paper. But Ellone still seemed hopeful that he'd find something lasting with one of his clients, despite his efforts to explain…. _delicately_… how the job actually worked.

A whore doesn't fall in love with the person who's paying for their company.

It seemed that Ellone's Galbadian upbringing still held sway despite having lived in Esthar for nearly ten years.

Finally Squall answered, "It doesn't matter Elle, she's not here for that anyway. She just wants to do the spa thing and relax."

"Oh," She said, sounding disappointed. "Well, when _are_ you going to go on an actual date? Don't you want to find someone special?"

Squall sighed in exasperation, pinching the bridge of his nose between his eyes, "Sis…Elle…"

"I know you get lonely Squall. You can't convince me that you don't. And… I can't be _everything_ for you brother. That's not how it works. I love you and I want you to be happy…"Ellone told him.

"I _am_ happy. Happy that I found you after searching for Gods know how long, and happy that it just happened to be when you needed most the help that I was in a position to provide to you. Most of all, I'm happy that you're feeling better." Squall said.

"You know that's not what I'm talking about." Ellone replied.

Squall's reply was another wordless sigh of exasperation. They'd been separated for years, ever since Squall was a small boy. He still didn't know exactly what had driven them apart, if Ellone had been adopted or what had happened. All he knew was that she was his Sis, and he needed to find her. It didn't matter that she didn't actually share his blood; he knew and loved her as his sister. When he finally made SeeD at seventeen, he started looking for her.

When he'd found her, it was through blind luck. Luck that he wasn't about to question, for it had allowed him to help her to get the treatment for her illness that she couldn't afford on her own.

So much time had passed though, and so many other concerns had piled on, that the needed re-establishment of their relationship had taken a back seat to the more immediate concern of helping Ellone to get well. Now that she was feeling better, the real work had begun.

And while Squall loved her deeply, his memories of Ellone were those of a small child. It made it difficult to reconcile them with the Ellone he now knew as an adult. Of course, that didn't mean that he wasn't willing to _try_, but things like this had always been difficult for him.

But it was comforting to know that some things about Ellone had never changed, the main thing being her motherly concern for him.

Even when it irritated and exasperated him, Squall knew that it came from a loving place, and it had gone a long way toward warming his formerly cold heart.

Much as he loved Ellone however, the conversation had gone in a direction he wasn't very comfortable with, so he sought to redirect it by asking her a question.

"When's your next appointment?"

"Wednesday, three o'clock. Why?" She asked in turn.

"I'd like to be there." He answered her.

"Squall, it's just a three-month checkup and scan. You don't _have_ to be there," she protested.

"I _want_ to be there. I want to know you're still in the clear." Squall told her.

"Well, certainly you're welcome. I'm sure the nurses would be happy to see you as well." Ellone said, amusement coloring her tone.

Squall's response was another sigh, which prompted Ellone to giggle, "I know. I'll stop now. I'd better let you go. I know you have things to do."

"Yeah, I do. I'll see you on Wednesday." Squall responded.

"Love you brother. Talk to you then." Ellone told him warmly.

"I love you too Sis." He smiled slightly, disconnecting the call.

Then he sat quietly on his couch for a moment, thinking about the call, and feeling warmed by it, despite his exasperation at Ellone's interest in his love life. It felt good however, to have his Sis back in his life again and to be in a position to help her.

Yes, her medical expenses had set him back quite a bit in his financial goals, but he was still young enough and strong enough to earn it back. Who needed to retire at twenty-five or thirty anyway? What would he do with all that extra time on his hands?

_Buy that island you've been looking at, off the coast of Galbadia, that's what. Clear out the monsters infesting it, build yourself a house…_ he mused…but didn't take it any further than that. It was something he'd considered on more than one occasion, but he'd set it aside for the time being while helping Ellone.

Sighing, he got up and collected his clothes hamper and detergent, decided that his best suit was in fact clean, and called in dinner reservations for seven thirty that evening. Then he left to do his laundry.

* * *

Rinoa was thoroughly enjoying her spa day so far. The mudbath had been kind of odd and disconcerting at first, but the mud hadn't been cold, and had been the silky consistency of fine clay. And she _did_ notice a difference in the way her skin felt once it had been hosed off of her.

Once she was clean, a young woman with surprisingly strong hands had rubbed sweet, aromatic oil all over her body, warming and soothing the ache from Rinoa's overworked muscles and transporting her into a state of bliss.

From there, she had been led into the salon in her green robe, and was currently enjoying both a manicure and a pedicure.

"What color would you like on your nails?" the aesthetician asked her.

Rinoa studied the colors available and decided on a pale, almost neutral, opalescent blush pink.

"That one," she answered, indicating the color she liked.

"Sand Rose." The aesthetician said, picking it up. "Very nice color. Did you want it on your toes as well?"

Rinoa considered that, and then answered, "Yes."

As she bent to her task, the aesthetician asked her, "So, how are you enjoying your visit so far?"

"It wasn't quite what I expected, but in spite of that, I'm enjoying myself. I've never gone to a spa before. Not one like this at any rate." Rinoa answered her.

"Really? Did you book a concierge for your visit?" the girl asked her.

"Yes. Well, I didn't, my friends did. They got this spa package for me as a birthday gift." Rinoa answered, cheeks turning pink.

The girl laughed, "Good friends! Who did they get as your concierge then?"

"Well, I'd mentioned that I wanted to learn self defense, so they booked me with Squall." Rinoa answered.

The girl smiled at her, eyes sparkling and commented, "He's an interesting guy. Not what you'd expect, and not real talkative, but none of his clients have complained. In fact," she paused, bending closer and continuing in a conspiratorial voice, "from what _I_ hear, he's quite…._ impressive_." Finished with painting the lacquer onto Rinoa's fingernails, the girl started on her toenails. Rinoa swallowed, wondering what the girl meant by that.

"He's a very good instructor," Rinoa started lamely, pausing when the girl laughed at her remark. Rinoa blushed fiercely when she finally caught on to the joke.

"I've heard that too," the aesthetician remarked with a wink. Then she asked, "Do you have any plans later with him?"

Rinoa's cheeks warmed from pink to red again as she answered, "Just dinner."

Seeing Rinoa's discomfort, the girl backed off and simply said, "I see. Well, let's see the nails again." Rinoa put her hands out, and the girl nodded.

"Okay, come over here, put your hands here and feet there and wait a few minutes for the lacquer to dry. When that's done, we'll get you started on the waxing." The aesthetician said, directing Rinoa to place both her hands and feet into a special contrivance that had UV lights set up to help speed the drying process of the polish.

"What did you want done, as far as the waxing goes?" The aesthetician asked.

Rinoa thought about that, then shrugged, "Legs I guess, and underarms…does it hurt?"

"Just a little sting at first but it goes away quickly. And it takes a long time for the hair to grow back so you'll be silky smooth for over a month." Then the girl tilted her head, studying Rinoa closely, adding, "You may want to consider getting your brows shaped as well."

"Okay." Rinoa nodded.

Then the girl asked, "what about your bikini area?"

Rinoa blinked, caught off guard by the question, and stammered, "my…. my what?"

"Your bikini area. Did you want to just trim around the edges, leave it alone entirely or have it bare? Some guys like it bare, some women do too, but none of Squall's clients have mentioned him having any preference with regard to that." The aesthetician clarified.

Rinoa simply stared at her. Was the young lady really asking her what she thought? The mere idea of putting hot (okay, warmed) wax on such a sensitive area and ripping the hair out by the roots made her cringe. Even around the edges, much less right _on_….

_BARE? Some men like it BARE? As in completely hairless? And why would Squall's preference have anything to do with…oh. _ Rinoa thought wildly, cheeks flaming red.

"If it makes it easier, it's not much different from shaving," the girl added.

"Except for the fact that you're pulling the hair out by the roots," Rinoa said faintly.

"Well, we can leave that alone if you'd prefer." The aesthetician said.

Rinoa considered that. She usually shaved to keep things under control, and mainly so as to avoid undue embarrassment when wearing a swimsuit. Viewed in that light, a little "hedge-trimming" might not go amiss. She only hoped it didn't hurt too much.

"Um," she said, biting her lip. "I guess just around the edges."

"Okay," the girl nodded. "Don't worry, we rub on a topical analgesic afterward, so it shouldn't be too painful."

Rinoa nodded, trying to ignore the fluttering in her stomach at the thought. She could do this. Really.

But she refused to think about _why_ she was even consenting to do it in the first place.

Still, her apprehensions threatened to overwhelm her. By the time the nail lacquer was dry and the aesthetician, Callie, had started preparations for the waxing, Rinoa had worked herself into a state of near panic. Fortunately, the aesthetician was able to calm her down so that they could proceed.

Laying Rinoa back onto the table, the girl asked her, "how do you want your brows shaped?"

Taking a calming breath and reminding herself that it shouldn't hurt any more than tweezing did, Rinoa answered, "nothing too extreme. I usually just pick off the stray hairs and leave them as natural as possible."

"Natural then?" Callie asked her. Rinoa nodded.

"All right. Close your eyes."

Rinoa did as directed and felt the girl rubbing something into the area around her eyebrows. Then something was placed over her eyebrows and something warm, probably the wax, was applied around the edges. Before she could even register the warmth of the wax or the sensation of it sitting on her skin, it was removed, leaving behind a quick sting as it pulled the hairs out with it. Then she felt the aesthetician's finger placing pressure on the areas where the wax had been, lessening the lingering ache, before applying something that banished it entirely.

Rinoa opened her eyes and sighed in relief, "Well, that wasn't terrible."

"No, and it shouldn't be too bad on the underarms or legs either. Are you ready?" the girl asked. Rinoa nodded.

"Good. I'll need you to come out of the robe, at least on the top half, to do your underarms." Callie instructed her. When Rinoa did as requested, the girl added, "Now raise your arms above your head. Good."

Warm wax was applied, a cloth was pressed over it, then it was quickly pulled off. Rinoa's eyes watered at the sting, but the analgesic lotion that was used quickly calmed it. The process was repeated on the other arm and both legs. It wasn't what Rinoa would call _fun_; in fact it _was_ rather painful. But Callie was quick and competent at what she was doing, so the pain only lasted for brief moments before it was soothed away.

And the results, at least on the legs, were amazing. Rinoa ran her hand down her thigh and over her knee, marveling at the silky smooth, almost velvety softness of her skin. The mud, the waxing and all the lotions and things that had been rubbed into it virtually guaranteed that her skin would be at its best, and Rinoa couldn't help thinking of Squall's large hands touching her, and wondering what he'd think of how her skin felt.

Her mouth went dry as her imagination further embellished her fantasy. His hands would _have_ to be warm; his touch firm but gentle, his lips soft…

"Rinoa? Are you ready for the bikini line?"

Callie's inquiry brought Rinoa out of her erotic daydream and she swallowed, managing to answer, "Yes."

* * *

Six P.M. Squall checked his watch, thinking that Rinoa should just about be done with her spa visit. It would take her a few minutes to walk back to his room, and Squall decided to use that time to get ready for dinner. It wouldn't take him long; he'd already showered and fortunately didn't usually have to shave but once a day. Still… he rubbed at his chin and cheeks, felt the slight prickle of stubble and decided another shave wouldn't hurt.

That small task was accomplished quickly and after wiping his face off, Squall ran a comb though his hair to order the unruly strands and then changed into his suit. Formal dress wasn't required for dinner in the restaurant, his regular suit would do. And no tie. He hated ties. Instead he opted to simply leave the collar open. It was more comfortable that way for him; at least he didn't feel as though he was being strangled.

He was just putting on the jacket when he heard the door open, indicating that Rinoa had returned. Checking his watch, he exited his bedroom and headed for his living room.

"Squall? I'm back," He heard her calling out as he approached. Then he stepped into the room and saw her…. and everything seemed to stop. His heart. His mind. Everything froze. He had to remind himself to breathe.

Squall had seen beautiful women before. Some of his clients, even those that had nearly twice his years in age, were stunning. They could afford to be. Designer clothes, personal style consultants, plastic surgery, personal trainers…. some of those women put a great deal of work into their appearance. And it showed.

Rinoa was different. He'd thought her beautiful without all the artifice. And now? Fresh from the spa and from everything that she'd had done? Squall could even list what it was; he'd set up the damned appointment, after all. She looked…beautiful wasn't the word. She transcended beauty the way an angel transcended mortal man.

And yet, she still looked like herself. Whatever artifice employed was minimal at best, and done only to enhance her natural beauty. Her skin was fresh and radiant, her hair dark and gleaming. Golden caramel highlights had been added, he noticed, to add warmth and to draw the eye to her lovely face. Her eyes sparkled, and her rose -petal lips…. They looked soft, slightly moist, and…

Dear Gods in heaven; suddenly, he wanted to kiss her…badly.

Rinoa seemed similarly affected, for she appeared frozen for a moment as well, staring at him. The silence stretched as Squall struggled valiantly to gather his scattered wits and say something. Anything.

"Hi." He managed. Brilliant.

That seemed to amuse Rinoa. Even as a rosy blush colored her cheeks at his intense regard, her lips stretched into a sweet, angelic smile. Yep. The polar icecaps were definitely in trouble.

Finally finding her voice, Rinoa asked, "Um… are we… are we still going to dinner?"

Her inquiry finally kick-started his brain and Squall swallowed, cleared his throat, and finally answered her, "yes. Dinner. Right." _Come on idiot! Snap out of it! _ He castigated himself.

When he made no move toward the door, Rinoa finally asked, "Uhm…when?"

Squall blinked at her reminder and glanced down at his watch, registering the time as six forty-five. How long had he stood there stupidly staring at her?

"Now. Actually. I made reservations for seven-thirty." Squall answered her, finally succeeding in regaining at least a modicum of his composure.

He approached her and held his arm out, inviting her, "Let's go."

She slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow, charmed by such an old fashioned gesture. His reaction to her had left her both puzzled and secretly gratified. She'd thought that she wasn't his type. That he wouldn't find her attractive.

When she'd voiced this concern to the aesthetician, Callie, the girl had assured her, "Trust me. He's male, straight, and has a pulse; he'll find you irresistible when we're done."

It had surprised Rinoa to learn that her spa appointment included a style consultation. Or that she could opt to either rent or buy any number of truly wonderful designer dresses for her evening out. She had decided, at Callie's suggestion, on a champagne colored halter dress that to Rinoa at least, appeared to be scandalously short. Then the girl had proceeded with fixing Rinoa's hair and applying makeup.

Apparently, the girl knew what she was doing, judging by Squall's stunned reaction to her.

Of course, Rinoa had experienced a similar case of brain lock at _Squall's_ appearance. He'd looked mouthwateringly attractive at her first sight of him in just his pajama pants, and seemed to look better and better each time she saw him. His hair had been combed into a semblance of order, though his forelock stubbornly resisted it and flopped into his eyes. His charcoal gray suit was tailored to his lean frame and gave him an air of elegance, while the opened collar of his snowy white shirt, offering a glimpse of his silver chain, added a healthy dose of sex appeal.

More than enough, certainly, to make her revisit the urge to throw caution to the winds.

She couldn't help but notice his solid strength, his warmth, and the subtle scent of musk and spice he wore as he escorted her to the resort's restaurant. Her heart was pounding so hard at the thoughts, the delicious, erotic thoughts, that she was entertaining, that she was surprised that Squall couldn't hear it. It was quite unlike her to be this overwhelmed by her own hormones and it worried her a bit.

Then a wicked thought intruded into her mind: _Nobody has to know what goes on here but us. Not Selphie, not Quistis, and certainly not my father. _

There was even a slogan about it, something cooked up by the Esthar City's chamber of commerce. She and Allyn had laughed about it while planning their honeymoon: "What happens in Esthar, STAYS in Esthar."

Maybe it was time that she moved on not only from Allyn's loss, but from her previous self as well.

It was odd; Rinoa now recognized that both she and her concierge/escort/potential lover for the weekend were caught in the throes of a mutual attraction so strong that it left them speechless. She would have laughed at the absurdity of it, but she was still trying to wrap her mind around what she was contemplating…and seesawing between giddy nervousness and heart-pounding lust. So they simply walked together in silence toward the restaurant, both wrapped in their own thoughts and yet keenly aware of the other's presence. It had the potential to be awkward, and perhaps just started edging toward it, but was saved from being uncomfortable by the fact that Squall lived in that silence and was at ease within it.

A glance at his calm expression, a return glance from him showing warmth that hadn't been there before, eased her apprehensions. Obviously, Squall was far more adept with non-verbal communication. Rinoa's mind stopped just short of following that thread to its conclusion of just what _other_ kinds of non-verbal communications he might excel at.

It wouldn't be hard for her to find out. All she had to do was ask him.

So focused was she upon what she was sensing from Squall, that she was unaware of the passage of time and so was surprised when they arrived at the restaurant and were informed that they were several minutes early.

"Would you like to wait in the bar while we prepare your table Mr. Leonhart?" The host asked.

After glancing down at Rinoa and seeing her nod in acceptance, he answered, "Yes."

They followed the host to the bar, with Squall asking as he seated her at a table, "What would you like to drink?"

"A glass of wine would be nice," Rinoa answered, suddenly feeling the need for something to calm and steady her.

"All right. Any preference?" He asked her.

Rinoa shook her head, "Not really. Whatever's good." Squall nodded and went to the bartender to place their orders. He returned moments later with a glass in each hand, handing one to her while retaining the second and taking the seat opposite her.

Rinoa smiled at him, "Thank you." Then she brought the glass to her lips and inhaled the bouquet deeply, closing her eyes at the heady perfume. Then she took a sip and almost moaned at the sheer sensuality of the wine's flavor. It warmed her all the way to her core and she immediately began to relax.

"Oh…" She sighed. "This is _nice_!" She opened her eyes to see him watching her, his eyes sparkling brilliantly and giving away his amusement at her response as he sipped at his own wine.

Finally he said, "Red Moon. Special Reserve from Northwest Vineyards. Year of the Lunar Cry."

Rinoa gasped. "But that's…" Words failed her. The last Lunar Cry was nearly two hundred years ago. Only one vineyard had escaped the devastation enough to make a pressing that year. Only one. And that vintage was now so rare and highly sought after that Rinoa shuddered at the thought of what just this one glass might have cost.

"A once in a lifetime experience." Squall finished for her, taking another slow sip, savoring the scent and flavor of the wine.

"But… Why did you order this?" Rinoa asked him. A wine like this almost required an event of epic proportions to justify drinking it. She couldn't help thinking it a bit over the top for a simple weekend fling.

"Thought you might like it." he answered with an offhand shrug.

Rinoa shook her head, "This is too much! I mean, this has to cost a mint, just for one glass!"

Squall raised an eyebrow then and replied, "You only live once. I personally have wanted to try this particular wine for a very long time but the steward here hadn't been able to track down a bottle until just recently."

"Oh. I see. Thank you then." Rinoa said, then she took another sip, unable to resist another taste of the wine. It had obviously been stored properly; not having lost any of its flavor and aroma, despite the time that had passed. Instead, it had mellowed into a rich blend of berries and tannins, with the darker notes given by the oaken barrels wherein it had aged. The bouquet was a sensual blend of fruit and flowers, the perfume almost as intoxicating at the wine itself.

"You're very welcome." Squall replied with a slight nod.

Yes, the wine had indeed been very expensive to order but the expense in this case was worth it on several levels. First, for its own sake, and Squall decided that flavor of the vintage was all that he'd heard about and more. Second, even if Rinoa hadn't told him anything about any specific fantasy that she may or may not have had, the fact remained that she was _there_. An elegant dinner with an equally elegant escort, including fine wine and gourmet food; even if she experienced these things on a regular basis, and something told Squall that she didn't, it was almost required that she experience them on this particular weekend with him.

And if she was wanting him to play the role of seducer to her shy ingénue, he was more than willing to go along with it, provided he was reading her body language correctly. Of course, he would ask to clarify what it was she wanted before he took things too far.

The host came soon after that and informed them that their table was ready and led them to it. Upon reaching it, Squall pulled a chair out for Rinoa and seated her, his gallantry bringing a rosy flush to her cheeks again. He was thankful for the walk they'd taken to get to the restaurant, for it had allowed him to reorder his mind and let calm rationality take control once again…at least enough for him to behave in a professional manner and not like a blithering idiot.

But that damned blush kicked him in the guts again with a hot rush of lust. No, Squall wasn't immune to her, not by a long shot.

As Squall seated himself, their waiter approached the table and asked, "What would you like to order this evening?"

Squall nodded toward Rinoa, encouraging her to order first, and she took another sip of that wonderful wine and asked, "What would you recommend?"

"The braised mesmerize medallions are particularly good. They're braised in a red wine and shallot reduction and come with a cucumber and mint salad. It pairs quite well with the house red." He answered.

"That sounds lovely," Rinoa said. The waiter nodded and made a notation on his pad, then turned to Squall.

"The same, if you will." Squall told him. The man nodded and left.

"This is wonderful," Rinoa sighed, gazing around at their elegant surroundings. "I'd always wanted to see Esthar. I never thought I'd be able to. Not after…." Her voice trailed off. To cover it, she drank the rest of her wine. No, she wouldn't mention Allyn. It would only make her sad and she didn't want that. Not tonight. Tonight she wanted to move on and enjoy the moment. She sent a silent apology to his spirit, hoping that he wouldn't feel she'd abandoned his memory, and focused again on her surroundings.

Watching her, Squall couldn't help but see the shadow that flitted across her expression, the sadness that had momentarily darkened her eyes before she'd diverted herself from it. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her "after what?". But he didn't. It was obviously something that she did not want to think about, having turned away from speaking of it further. He could respect that. There were more than a few things that had happened in his life that _he_ didn't want to talk about either.

The sound of strings tuning up caught her attention and she smiled as she recognized the waltz music that they began playing. Immediately couples began to drift out onto the open space between the dining area of the restaurant and the opposite end where the musicians were playing.

Turning back to Squall, she opened her mouth to ask him if he'd like to dance with her when their dinners arrived. Diverted by that momentarily, Rinoa took a bite of the medallion and sighed, rolling her eyes in pleasure.

"Oh, that's heavenly. The house wine isn't bad either." She said, taking a sip. It was a good wine, but not as wonderful as the Red Moon.

"It is very good," He agreed, after sampling his own meal. "Are you enjoying yourself so far?" He asked her politely. He snorted inwardly at that. Not too long ago, he would have considered being polite a waste of time. And granted, for some people that he met, it still was. But for his clients, impeccable manners were a requirement. It certainly cost him very little, and repaid him a great deal.

"Oh, this is all just wonderful. Better than a dream, really. I certainly couldn't have cooked up a fantasy _this_ amazing if I'd tried." Rinoa said. "I mean, I got a glass of Red frickin' Moon! All those uppity wine snob colonels that my father consorts with would be green with envy if they knew."

"Well then, I'm glad I was able to share that with you," Squall said sincerely. Raising his glass slightly he said, "To the Red Moon then." Rinoa smiled and laughed softly, then touched her glass lightly against his.

"The Red Moon." She echoed him, taking another drink of her wine. She began to feel loose and relaxed, and slightly giddy as a result of the alcohol she'd ingested. She focused on her dinner for a bit, appreciating the subtleties of flavor that the chef had employed in its creation. He truly was world class.

She sighed as she sipped from her wineglass, her third, and simply gazed at Squall while she nibbled at the remains of her dinner. His attention was momentarily diverted from her, allowing her to simply stare at him. He held his wineglass gracefully in his long fingers, the warm golden lamplight of the restaurant gilding his coppery hair. He turned then and caught her looking, and raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

Smiling, she propped her chin on one hand and said, "You know, I'm acquainted with more than a few colonel's daughters that would be green with envy too, if they saw me here with you."

Squall smiled slightly at this, but was unsure how to respond, so he simply said, "Thank you." Then he asked, "Have you given any thought to what you'd like to do tomorrow?"

Rinoa shook her head and answered, "No. I'm still working on today." Their meals finished, the waiter came to take their plates away. Rinoa drained the wineglass she held and gave it to the waiter as well.

The musicians began playing "waltz for the moon", a popular waltz back in its day. As more and more couples moved out onto the dance floor, Rinoa decided that it must still be relevant.

Turning back to Squall after the waiter left, Rinoa asked, "Since today isn't over yet, and I'm not ready to plan anything for tomorrow, why don't we go and dance?"

Squall considered that, then nodded, "Okay." Standing up, he came around to her seat and reached his hand down to her. Taking the hint, Rinoa placed her hand in his and he drew her to her feet and led her to the dance floor.

As they walked Rinoa was keenly focused upon the feel of her hand in his. His hands were warm, just like she'd thought they'd be. And oddly, not soft but strong and callused, she discovered as they reached the dance floor and he turned her to face him. Lacing his fingers through hers, he slipped his other hand to the small of her back, making her shiver as he pulled her close.

And they danced. No, they floated. They flew. They soared like eagles. Squall's warmth surrounded and seeped into her, his scent was in her nostrils at every breath, a draft fully as enthralling as the wine. And perhaps she was more than enthralled; perhaps she was actually drunk. That was a good enough explanation for what she did next, because she was sure it was her imagination that told her that Squall was bending down to kiss her, prompting her to meet him halfway.

She threaded her fingers through his thick, silky hair, marveling that a man could have hair so fine, stretched up and pulled him to her, touching her lips to his. And yes, his lips were soft, his kiss flavored with the wine they'd both drunk. He pulled her close against him, his large, warm hand sliding up her back as he held her flush against his body and devoured her mouth. Making her senses swim as his tongue snuck in to slide over hers. Her eyes drifted shut and she gave herself up to it, surrendering to the feel, the taste, the texture, and to the clamoring need within her that demanded more.

Squall gave that to her and more. He hadn't imbibed enough wine for him to feel _this_ intoxicated; the scent of her hair, the fire in her kiss, the silken velvet of her skin as he ran his hand up her bare back…. _that_ was doing it. He was losing his mind over her. He'd known from the first moment he saw her, that there was no possible way he could be professional about this. About _her_. No way.

He found that he didn't care.

They came to themselves gradually… breathless, hearts pounding in sympathy with each other. Music still played in the background, dancers still swirled around them, but they simply stood still, locked in each other's arms, staring at each other. Wondering what to do next.

Slowly, Squall brought his hand up and caressed her cheek, brushing his thumb lightly over her bottom lip. Falling into her warm brown eyes. Just falling….

"Would you like to continue this somewhere more private?" He asked her softly. Hoping.

"Yes," she whispered.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: FINALLY! Finally done with this chapter and on to the next...sorry i couldn't get this completed and posted yesterday but there were several extenuating circumstances...one being a road trip that i had to do thursday night.

*ducks a tuna* Hey! No fish-slapping! the chapter is DONE now!

anyway, enjoy it...and yes, I AM evil leaving this one where it is now... but don't worry, the next chapter will explore in detail what happens next. It's NOT what you think. That's all I'm going to say about it.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter V

The trip back to the Squall's room…apartment…whatever it was… was a blur to Rinoa. She knew she'd probably had a little too much wine, though her mind still seemed clear enough and her steps were mostly steady. Mostly. She really couldn't tell if her weak-kneed gait, prompting her to lean into Squall for support, was due to the wine or to her own body's reactions to him.

She remembered getting into the elevator to ride up to his floor…and being pressed up against the wall as his lips assaulted hers again. She couldn't rightfully remember if he was the aggressor this time or if she was. She only remembered the way his kiss made her senses swim, the heat of his body as it pressed against her, the pounding ache deep inside of her that echoed her pounding heart.

It seemed that once she'd given consent, he abandoned his earlier aloof, detached attitude and became fiery and passionate. If he was this way with _all_ of his clients, it was no wonder that he'd had no complaints and had been described as "impressive".

She did feel a little thrill of apprehension however, despite her determination to go through with…. it. She kicked herself mentally. She wasn't a little girl anymore, she was a grown woman and she should act accordingly. She was resolved to take full advantage of her gift and sleep with…. Have _sex_ with… Squall.

The elevator dinged its arrival at their floor and they had to separate, both of them breathless and flushed, with Squall's hair attractively mussed by Rinoa's fingers and his shirt opened nearly to his navel. Rinoa's dress meanwhile had been hiked up nearly to her waist. If the ride had gone any longer….

Rinoa gulped and tugged the hem down, cheeks burning. Then she looked up to catch Squall watching her in warm amusement. She laughed breathlessly, nervously, then reached out and took his outstretched hand. It engulfed hers, warming it, gripping it firmly to draw her close to his side. Then his hand released hers and slid around her waist, with Squall pausing to press a soft kiss to her temple before leading them both out of the elevator and to his room.

Upon reaching his room and leading her inside, he locked the door, then pulled her into his arms, pressing her flush against him. Lightly trailing his lips up the side of her neck, briefly brushing his cheek against hers, he whispered into her ear, the puff of his breath making her shiver.

"How do you want to do this?" He asked her.

It took Rinoa a minute to register the question; she was too distracted by the feel of his hand on her backside, pressing her into his body, grinding her intimately, maddeningly into him. Making the throbbing ache at her core worse.

"I don't…" she managed, unable to fully articulate her response. She didn't know. She had no idea what he was referring to.

He was kissing her again, and asking between kisses, "Bed? Or couch?"

Oh. "Bed," she managed to whisper breathlessly.

"All right," He responded softly. "Come on."

He tangled his fingers with hers and led her to the bedroom. She followed with both anticipation and apprehension battling within her, butterflies fluttering in her stomach and tension warming her skin from the inside out. She tried to shove aside the small, panicked whispers that had sprung up in her mind, determined to see this through to its natural conclusion and finally, _finally_ see for herself what the big fuss over sex was all about.

Most importantly, she was going to do her best _not_ to look like an inexperienced ninny when they finally got down to business.

Her mind skidded to a halt when Squall resumed his assault on her senses, making her shiver by trailing feathery kisses up her neck, coming around behind her to lift her hair away from the back of her neck, kissing it and sending a frisson down her spine, making her gasp for air as he lightly trailed his fingertips up her arms and down her back as he drew down the zipper to her dress. She couldn't stop a quiet moan as he slid his warm hands under the bodice, helping to slide it down and off of her body before bringing them up to cup and caress her breasts. Her head fell back against his chest, offering him her neck, which he freely kissed and nibbled, making Rinoa's head swim with the sensations she was experiencing.

Then he came around to face her, forcing a gasping cry from her as he trailed light kisses down her neck and down her chest, finally reaching and engulfing one erect nipple. She speared her fingers through his hair, fighting for air, no longer able to think rationally at all, only feel and lose herself in what she felt.

She was only vaguely aware of his strong arms gently guiding her to the bed and laying her back upon it, of his nimble, sensitive fingers lightly trailing down her body and drawing off her panties. By that point, her entire body was an aching well of need clamoring to be filled. So she was a little disappointed when he drew away from her for a moment.

"I'll be right back," he whispered with a slight smile. "I need to catch up." It was only then that she realized that he'd been so busy with her that he hadn't even gotten his own clothing off and was still mostly dressed aside from his opened shirt.

So Rinoa simply lay lost in a languorous, sensuous haze, and watched as Squall removed first his jacket, then pulled his shirt out of his trousers, unbuttoned it the rest of the way and removed it as well, dropping both carelessly to the floor. Rinoa looked her fill at what he revealed as he undressed, knowing now how warm and firm his chest felt under her hands. Knowing how his skin smelled.

When he began to unbuckle his belt and undo his trousers, Rinoa's apprehensions sprang to life again, the butterflies returning with a vengeance. This was really going to happen. She was really going to _finally_ become a woman. Then Squall removed his pants and turned aside for a moment, retrieving something from his nightstand and giving Rinoa a full, unobstructed view of what nature had gifted him with.

Rinoa simply stared, trying valiantly to fight back a surge of panic. There was no way. She couldn't _possibly_…. She'd thought the girl who'd described him as "impressive" had meant something else. He was…_it_ was….

"Oh my GOD! You're HUGE!" Rinoa exclaimed, the words slipping from her mouth before she could stop them.

Squall turned to face Rinoa with a frown that deepened when he saw her staring at him with wide, panicked eyes. _What the hell?_

"Um…what?" he asked, confused by her reaction. Certainly, it wasn't the response he _normally_ got... If his proportions engendered any comment at all, it was usually more positive than _this_.

"You're…I can't…it'll never…" she was whispering, shaking her head.

Squall simply stared, doing his best to ignore his aching arousal and think around the lust fogging his mind. Slowly he began to recall her reactions and responses to him, and things that had confused him from the beginning finally began to make sense. Her kisses had been…sweet but reticent; likewise with the way she touched him. Tentative, unsure, untutored… everything about her spoke of innocence, purity…

_It couldn't be…_

Spearing his hand through his hair, Squall took a deep breath and asked in a flat voice, "You've never done this before, have you?" Wordlessly, Rinoa shook her head, cheeks starting to redden from embarrassment. "At all?" Another head shake. _Shit!_

"_Then what the hell are you doing here?"_ He demanded, frustration making the question harsher than intended. Rinoa flinched as though slapped, tears starting to glimmer in her eyes. He dropped his hand, then folded his arms tightly across his chest and glared at her, frustration and anger turning to impatience tinged with guilt as he noticed her tears. Great. Now she was going to cry. _Dammit! _

"I…uh…" she began in a shaky voice. "It was a birthday gift. My friends gave it to me…"

"Nice friends," Squall said sarcastically. "This was a _gift_? Are you sure it wasn't a cruel joke?"

Rinoa shook her head, vigorously defending her friends, "They wouldn't have done this on purpose. I _know_ they wouldn't have. I don't think they knew…what this place was."

Squall sighed, suddenly feeling deflated. Well, mostly anyway. He still had a raging hard-on that wasn't going anywhere despite the dash of cold water Rinoa's reaction to him had provided.

"Ah, Hell." He groaned quietly, sitting heavily on the edge of the bed and dropping his head into his hands. Despite Rinoa's denial, Squall still thought the whole situation was a cruel joke; only _he_ was the butt of it, not Rinoa.

"I'm sorry," Rinoa said in a small voice, sniffling quietly. Squall didn't respond or turn to face her. What good would it do?

When he didn't respond she tried again in a thin whisper, "I… I really did …do…want to be with you but…when I saw…it…. I panicked. It's just so…"

Squall turned to look back at her, coolly stating, "IT is called a penis. If you're going to talk about it, at least use the correct terminology." He held her gaze for a moment, refusing to back down and sighing inwardly at her beautiful, nude body, remembering how velvety soft her skin was and how it smelled. Still thinking about the flavor of her kiss. He still wanted her, _ached_ for her, and even if she begged him to now, he wouldn't touch her. She sniffled softly and wiped away a stray tear, and Squall turned away.

He felt the bed shift as she approached him, felt her hands hesitantly touch him, caressing his back. Swallowing, he closed his eyes, willing her to stop. Even that light touch threatened to undo him completely. If he lost control, if he lost… he couldn't stop a quiet gasp as he felt her lips touching him lightly on the back of his neck, then beneath his ear, then his cheek.

_Please. Stop…_ it was on the tip of his tongue to say it, but his tongue was paralyzed.

"I…I still want to do this. With you. Please?" she whispered. Squall shuddered at the brush of her breath against his ear.

He was tempted. Gods, was he tempted. But, that first flash of fear in her eyes… no. He wasn't in the business of hurting people. Not anymore. Certainly not while doing his best to please his partner. Pain as pleasure, either giving or receiving, had never been his thing. And he'd never had sex with a virgin before. While he was fairly confident in his skills as a lover… none of his previous clients had ever complained at any rate; he felt completely inadequate in this case. Simply put, a woman's first sexual experience could color her perceptions about the act for the remainder of her life. It could either be a wonderful, beautiful memory, or a scarring ordeal.

No. It was not a responsibility he wanted to take on. _Nor was it an honor he felt worthy of._

Reaching up, he gently removed one of her hands from his shoulder, shrugging the other one off and shifting away from her. Then he stood up, walked over to his dresser and picked up his pajama pants.

"No." he said without looking at her, while every fiber of his being screamed at him that he was being a fool. Then he walked into the bathroom and firmly shut the door.

Rinoa stared after him, tears starting to trickle heedlessly down her face, the sting in her eyes echoing the sting of his rejection. Echoing the sting in her heart. He _had_ wanted her. Had apparently found her desirable enough to become aroused. No man could fake that. So why had he refused?

Rinoa curled in upon herself, moving back to the head of the bed, curling around the pillow and pulling the bedspread over herself, suddenly shamed by her nakedness. Was it because she'd acted like a scared ninny after all? Was it because he didn't want to bother with a little girl when he was used to more experienced women?

Burying her face into the pillow, Rinoa began to sob, suddenly overcome by humiliation as she recalled how she'd behaved…. And how she'd been rebuffed.

* * *

Squall turned and frowned at the closed bathroom door after hearing a muffled sound from the other side that sounded suspiciously like a sob. Laying his pants upon the counter next to the sink, he approached the shower and turned it on. After adjusting the temperature, he stepped under the spray, closing his eyes and bracing himself against the wall.

He was still aching, still aroused, and unfortunately saw only one means of relieving that situation. Not his preferred method of dealing with it, but better than the alternative of doing nothing and simply enduring the uncomfortable results while he waited for it to abate on its own.

Still, having to resort to manual stimulation when there was a beautiful woman in his bed felt like failure to him, despite the fact that _he_ had chosen to refuse her.

It wasn't difficult for him to achieve the release he craved however. All he had to do was to think about her pearl-white, luminous skin. Skin that felt like silken velvet and smelled like heaven. All he had to do was recall the softness of her lips and the way they tasted, the way the light caressed the curves of her body, the firm swell of her breasts, the dusky rose of her nipples, the dark triangle at the juncture of her thighs….

The hand he had braced against the wall curled into a fist as the tension drained out of him, leaving him gasping and weak-kneed in its wake. Tilting his face into the spray, he simply let the warm water sluice down his body, further relaxing him. He wanted to laugh at himself then, at the grand joke that fate had played on him.

Rinoa had seen his size and had panicked, but in truth, he wasn't exceedingly well endowed, at least as far as _he_ was aware. Oh, one or two of his clients had made similar, if somewhat more complimentary, observations, but at best he figured he might be just slightly larger than average; though he wasn't about to go running around with a ruler to confirm it.

Firmly abandoning that line of thought, Squall flipped the tap over to cold, gasping again and shuddering as he was doused in cold water, shocking him back to reality. Finally letting the head with the _brain_ in it take control again. After his mind had cleared he shut the water off and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel to dry off. Once that had been accomplished, he pulled on his pajama bottoms and exited the bathroom.

Upon entering his bedroom, he cast a glance over to his bed and saw Rinoa huddled under his spread, with her face buried in his pillow. Her entire attitude spelled out dejection clearly. Squall frowned slightly at the sudden pang that struck in the vicinity of his heart. He didn't understand why she appeared to be so upset, or why the sight of her obvious unhappiness should affect him so. It didn't make any sense. _None_ of it did.

He swallowed, then turned to leave only to freeze when he heard Rinoa whisper, "Why?"

He turned back to meet reddened eyes in a flushed and tear-washed face. There were too many responses to that question.

_Because you were afraid. Because you'd been drinking and I can't be certain you're fully cognizant of what you're doing. Because your first time shouldn't be with someone like me…_

Finally he answered her, "You didn't come here for that."

"But I decided that I _wanted_ to make love with you…" She began but Squall cut her off curtly, "Love has nothing to do with this. _Nothing_."

Rinoa's trembling chin firmed and lifted, and her glimmering eyes flashed as she shot back, "Fine then. I wanted to have _sex_ with you. It was already paid for, so why not?"

Why not indeed? Too many reasons, some of which came down to Squall's own upbringing and the indelible mark left behind by it.

"Just because I'm paid for," Squall said coolly, "doesn't mean I'm obligated to do what you want. I have the right to refuse any hire, for any reason."

He turned to leave, but Rinoa stopped him again by demanding, "What was your reason then? Why did you refuse? You can't tell me you weren't interested, it was pretty fucking obvious that you were." Squall turned back to her and Rinoa swallowed down a sudden thrill of fear as she saw his eyes go flat, and hard, and cold.

"I don't do virgins." He answered her, the sound of winter in his voice. Then he turned and left.

Rinoa stared after him, confused, unfulfilled, frustrated and hurt. It wasn't her fault she was still a virgin at twenty-five. Given who her father was, it was almost a guarantee that she would be. Allyn at least had been understanding of the reasons and respectful of both her and her father's wishes to the end, delaying consummation of their relationship until they'd been properly married.

It was cruel, tragic fate that had robbed Rinoa of her wedding night with the man she'd loved. Upon learning of what Squall's job entailed and _after_ her initial panic attack over it, she'd actually been hopeful that she'd finally be able to experience what sex was all about, even if it _wasn't_ with the man she loved. How ironic was it that she'd not only been thrown together with a whore, but one with a conscience to boot? It defied logic.

It also served to add another facet to Squall Leonhart's increasingly complex character, deepening the mystery surrounding him. The only thing that Rinoa had learned so far was the fact that _nothing_ about the man was anything close to typical, or average, or _normal_, for that matter.

Rinoa's cheeks heated as she remembered her first sight of him gloriously nude and impressively aroused. No. _Definitely_ not average. At all. Then she kicked herself mentally. Given her limited experience, how the hell would she even know? He might be completely in the middle or even smaller than average and she'd never know it. Maybe she was making a…._ahem_….mountain out of a mole hill?

No, she didn't think so. She and Allyn may not have had sexual intercourse, but Rinoa wasn't _completely_ innocent either. They'd enjoyed each other in other ways, and she'd seen him naked and aroused on more than one occasion (though, truthfully, those occasions could easily be counted on one hand). _He_ certainly hadn't intimidated her the way Squall had.

But now she was unsure of what to do; on the one hand, she wanted Squall still. She positively ached for him to complete what they'd started together in fact. On the other hand, fear still held her back. Everything she'd ever heard or read of regarding one's first initiation into sexual activity agreed that for a girl at least, the first time usually hurt. How _much_ it hurt varied too widely to be quantified, but given what Squall had to work with, chances were good that it would hurt _a lot_. It was _that_ fear that held her back; and Rinoa suddenly realized that Squall had _seen_ that fear.

No wonder he'd backed away and refused to continue. Even though she'd verbally consented to the activity, for him to proceed at that point would have been tantamount to rape. Rinoa wondered if that was part of the rules governing his job or if that was a personal decision on his part. Perhaps it was both.

Maybe tomorrow she could convince him to give it another try. He was a professional at this, which implied a certain level of skill; Rinoa was positive that he could help her get past the initial discomfort to find the pleasure that would surely follow. It was beyond ironic to think that she might actually have to seduce _him_ when the opposite was ordinarily the case.

Rinoa suddenly yawned, the alcohol she'd ingested finally overriding her rampant hormones and making her sleepy. Crawling out of the bed, she crossed the room to the light switch, intending to turn off the light and go to bed. As she did, she saw the clothing that Squall had discarded still lying upon the floor. Without even thinking, she picked up his shirt and brought it to her face, closing her eyes and breathing in his scent. Then she put it on, sighing as the fine cotton caressed her skin as gently as Squall's hands had, buttoning it up and rolling up the sleeves.

Continuing to the door and the light switch next to it, Rinoa turned it off, then headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth and get ready for bed. Her final toilette for the day completed, she returned to the bed and sighed, closing her eyes again. Wrapped in Squall's shirt and his scent, Rinoa quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Squall leaned against the stone balustrade that framed his balcony, nearly full bottle of beer dangling from his fingers. He'd already had two glasses of wine, and honestly, wasn't much interested in the beer at this point. But he wasn't even close to relaxed enough to sleep, despite the alcohol he'd already consumed still floating in his bloodstream.

The breeze picked up as the night cooled, the sun having just set. A faint red glow, fading to purple, was all that remained of the sunset. It was a shame, really, that Rinoa had missed it. Sunsets in Esthar, particularly on the northern coast, were spectacular. He'd make it a point to show her tomorrow evening, he decided, and then frowned at that thought and what it could mean.

The air of the evening, perfumed by night blooming jasmine and roses, combed through his hair, caressing his skin softly with cool fingers. Its touch was as light and ethereal as Rinoa's had been. He could still feel her hands on him, the fingers trailing lightly up his back, over his shoulders and down his arms. He could still feel her body pressing against him as she whispered that she still wanted him, despite the fear he could hear trembling in her voice.

_STOP! _ He told himself, shaking his head violently. Lifting the bottle, he took a long swallow of his beer and focused his attention toward the ocean. He listened instead to the cries of the birds as they faded into the night and the endless whisper of the surf. He tried to let that peace invade his being and forced himself to concentrate on that instead of thinking about…her.

It didn't work. Just as he'd feared, she'd gotten under his skin, and he didn't know what to do from there. Well, sex was off the menu that was for sure. He did his best to ignore the whisper in the back of his mind that told him that he _did_ have the skill to bring Rinoa through pain to ecstasy if she _truly_ wanted him to be the one to take her there. Maybe he did. And maybe she'd wake up in the morning and realize what a colossal mistake she'd nearly made and be relieved that he'd backed off. Maybe. She wouldn't be staying long in either case. He only had to get through tomorrow and then she'd be leaving early the next day.

Then he could work on forgetting her.

He sighed and glanced down at his beer, the bottle still half-full. Pushing away from the balustrade, he went back into his apartment and went to the kitchen, dumping the remainder of the beer into the sink before pitching the bottle. Then he padded silently toward his bedroom, entering and crossing it to the bathroom, firmly avoiding glancing toward the bed where Rinoa lay sleeping.

Entering the bathroom he took care of what he needed to, washed his hands and brushed his teeth. That task done, he quietly exited and went back to the living room and his couch. But he _still_ couldn't sleep.

After lying on his back and staring at the ceiling for several minutes, Squall got up with an exasperated growl and got out his laptop. Maybe reviewing his financials and reading through his email would be mind-numbing enough to finally allow him to sleep.

He glanced down at his watch, noting that the stock exchange in Deling City had just opened up. He signed in and found that a couple of key investments had undergone a big jump over the previous day's activity. Large enough that that if he sold off the stock now, he'd have his goals met and then some. He thought about that for a moment, knowing that a big bounce could either signal an upward trend or an equally big dip the next day.

Some of his other investments were trending upward too, but at a slower rate. He left the slower maturing stocks alone, and decided to sell the ones that had made such a high jump, rolling the resulting proceeds into his retirement account. He sighed in satisfaction at the ending balance. Any proceeds from his employment or investments from this point forward could be used for his more immediate goals. His retirement funds were back on track and when he did finally, _truly_ retire, would be more than enough for him to live comfortably.

If his other holdings performed even half as well, he'd be able to buy his island after all. Maybe he'd take up sailing or surfing. Or maybe fishing.

Logging off of his investment tracker, he checked through his email, answering one sent by Ellone, smiling while reading her note. She'd be happy to know that he'd met his goals and his financial concerns were finally resolved. He debated adding that to the email he was sending her, then decided to tell her in person when he went with her to her appointment in a few days.

He yawned suddenly, rubbing at his eyes. Sure enough, working on the computer was enough to finally settle him down so he could sleep. But there was one last thing he needed to do before he logged off and finally went to bed.

He gazed thoughtfully at his closed bedroom door, behind which Rinoa lay sleeping. Then he logged into his personal checking account. It took only seconds to do what he wanted, no _needed_ to do, and he felt much better as a result. Logging off, he shut down his laptop and finally went to sleep.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: ummm...Yeah. I've written five chapters of a story set in a brothel, where NO SEX has actually taken place as yet (unless you count self-gratification...). Irony? You bet. Is it intended? So far it is. In spite of this, i think this chapter was sufficiently steamy to hold interest.

Am I wrong?

Don't worry, there's more yet to come, and YES, sex WILL happen at some point. They just have to work up to it, and some other things need to happen first. Be patient, and I'll try to make sure the coming chapters continue to be interesting.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter VI

Coffee. She smelled coffee. Rinoa took a deep breath and inhaled the rich fragrance wafting in from the kitchen. She shifted and yawned, then winced at the slight headache she had. Yeah, she'd had a little too much wine the previous night. Enough to give her a headache at any rate.

She stretched, then threw off the bedspread and sat up. Then she frowned down at the white shirt she was wearing in confusion for a moment, until a whiff of scent from its previous wearer wafted up and awakened Rinoa's memory. She may have been more than slightly drunk the night before, but she wasn't so drunk that she'd forget what had happened.

She'd never be that drunk.

Her mind didn't work that way. It never had. She'd partied with Selphie and Quistis on more than one occasion and had gotten falling down, puking drunk. She didn't do that _often_, but it had happened a time or two before. But no matter how drunk she'd gotten, she never forgot what had happened, or what she did. Never. Quite simply, she was never subject to alcohol-induced blackouts. She always remembered.

It got to the point that Selphie and Quistis would ask her what they'd done if she happened to have gone out drinking with them.

So, she remembered dancing with her dashing escort. She remembered kissing him, and coming achingly close to doing more before her girlish panic brought it all to a halt. She didn't know whether to be frustrated or grateful that the man had an unexpected streak of decency that had prompted him to back off.

Or perhaps it wasn't decency so much as a desire to avoid bedding a young woman too inexperienced to be…pleasurable.

"_I don't do virgins." _ He'd stated coldly.

Rinoa thought she knew why. How would he make pleasant an experience that could potentially be very painful at the outset? Perhaps he didn't feel up to the challenge. Perhaps he simply didn't want to bother with the inevitable histrionics during and after the act.

Yawning, Rinoa followed the smell of coffee into the kitchen, blinking in the bright morning light filtering through the translucent draperies covering the patio doors. It bathed the room in golden light; lending warmth to the cool, blue painted cupboards and green counter top. The clear, pure light of morning also illuminated the absolutely delicious looking man who stood in front of the counter, sipping at a cup of coffee.

Rinoa simply had to stare. He was just too beautiful to be real; scarred, stubbly face, untidy hair, scandalously low-riding sleep pants and all. She didn't see the scars. Not the one on his face, or the ones on his body. She only saw the way the light traced the contours of his chest and abdominal muscles, and threw out sparks of gold and copper in his hair. Not just the hair on his head either; Rinoa couldn't help but notice the sparkling copper trail on his lower belly that led to the waistband of his pants.

She suddenly wished she had a camera. Failing that however, a mental snapshot would have to suffice.

He caught her staring of course, and amusement lit his aquamarine eyes and softened his lips as he greeted her, "Good morning."

"Coffee." Was all Rinoa could manage to say. A slight smile quirked his lips as he nodded toward his coffeemaker, silently inviting her to help herself.

As she walked past him into the kitchen, he found it difficult himself not to stare at her as she'd stared at him. The sight of her walking toward his kitchen, yawning and rubbing at her eyes, inky hair sexily tangled from sleep, and wearing his shirt to boot, was just too damn adorable to ignore. Gods, he wanted to kiss her silly and drag her back into the bedroom to finish what they'd started the previous night.

He let out a breath and took a healthy sip of his coffee to try and get hold of himself, quite forgetting that it was still hot. Very, _very_ hot.

_SHIT! Shitshitshit! _ Squall squeezed his eyes shut briefly and fought the urge to spit out the scalding liquid, manfully swallowing it instead and feeling it burn all the way down to his stomach. Grimacing, he took a deep breath and wondered if he should drink a glass of cold water to ease the burning that he could still feel in his mouth and throat.

Rinoa meanwhile had managed to find a coffee mug and was now happily sighing, "Mmmm…. I love this coffee. It smells _so_ good. You have to tell me where you get it. And that little red coffeemaker of yours is _just_ adorable." Then she sighed again, "I do wish you had some cream though. I realize you like yours black but…"

Squall swallowed, cleared his throat and managed _not_ to croak, "there's some in the fridge. I stashed the cream from yesterday's breakfast in there before we left."

"Oh! Thank you! I thought it had gone back with the room service guys," Rinoa smiled brilliantly at him and turned toward the refrigerator, opening it and bending down slightly to peer inside, looking for the cream.

The shirt she was wearing, _his_ shirt, was just large enough to cover her decently when she was standing up straight. But only just. Bending down even a little was more than enough to hike up the hem and offer a glimpse of what it barely covered. That glimpse gave Squall a sudden, vivid fantasy of taking her right then and there in his kitchen. He forcibly tore his gaze away and shook his head violently to rid it of the image, but it had been seared into his brain.

_Holy Hyne on a cracker! Get a grip man! _ He took a deep, slow breath and let it out, willing his racing heart to calm, willing the tension tightening his gut and groin to relax. This was neither the time nor the place for that. For some women that might have been a turn-on, but even if Rinoa were willing, Squall wouldn't ravish her in his _kitchen_. He wouldn't _ravish_ her at all.

Besides, she was awake now and sober. It was quite likely that she had been relieved that he'd held off and left her virtue intact.

"Ah…" Rinoa said after taking a sip of her coffee. "That's _much_ better. Your coffee _is_ excellent, but I much prefer it with cream and sugar."

"What…." Squall began, then cleared his throat and continued, "Uh, what do you want for breakfast?" He asked, bringing his coffee cup up in preparation for another sip, then pausing and setting it down on the counter with a sigh. It was still too hot and his mouth and throat were still burned.

"Oh, same as yesterday. That was good. Just the eggs and fruit." Rinoa answered, and then asked him, "Are we doing another self-defense class today?"

"Yes. Whenever you're ready. After we're done the rest of the day is yours." Squall answered her, then suggested, "if you like, you can go ahead and shower and get ready now and I'll order breakfast."

"Okay," Rinoa said, drinking the last of her coffee and setting the cup in the sink.

* * *

Breakfast was ready when Rinoa completed her shower and joined Squall out on the balcony. As with the previous day, it was accomplished mostly in silence. The only difference that Rinoa could see was the notable absence of his laptop; that, and the fact that he was no longer drinking his coffee. Instead he sipped at a glass of ice water while he ate.

When he'd finished, he quietly excused himself to go get ready, saying, "I'm going to head down to the gym in a few minutes but you don't have to be there for another hour and a half so if you want to just relax or something, that's fine. I'll be there waiting for you when you're ready. If there's anything that you want to do afterward, just let me know."

"Okay," Rinoa acknowledged, watching him disappear into his bedroom and sighing at the sight.

He left moments later dressed in his workout garb and with his gym bag slung over his shoulder. Rinoa sketched a wave at him as he left, but his face had been turned away so he didn't see it. She sighed, feeling the emptiness of the place crash in on her after he exited.

There were so many things she'd wanted to talk to him about, and she just couldn't seem to get it out. They'd both been polite and pleasant with each other that morning, but the elephant in the room had been thoroughly ignored.

The attraction was still there, simmering beneath the surface between the both of them. Squall may coldly state that he didn't do virgins, but that didn't change the fact that he'd wanted her last night, and all indications were that he wanted her still. She was neither so innocent nor so blind that she hadn't seen it plainly that morning. Rinoa too was caught up in it, and despite what Squall might _think_, was more than willing to take _him_ as her first lover, even if it was only for _one_ night.

She knew that the likelihood of anything more than that coming of their liaison was slim to none; one doesn't fall in love in just one weekend. Perhaps it was for the best. She'd have a pleasant memory of a gorgeous, dashing escort, a skilled lover that could gently usher her into womanhood, and she would no longer have to worry about being a virgin any longer. It would no longer be an issue in any of her future relationships.

Despite being a virgin she was not so naïve as to think that sex, even _great_ sex, equaled love. Perhaps that was at the root of Squall's hesitation. If so, she would have to reassure him that she expected nothing more than what he was willing to give her. She wasn't going to go expecting roses and promises of forever afterward. The difficult part would be in convincing _him_ of that.

* * *

Squall slammed his fists against the heavy bag in a rapid, thumping rhythm, rocking the punching bag back and prompting him to dance aside and fire two lightning fast kicks at it. Blood surged and his heart pounded, the physical effort expended momentarily distracting Squall, forcing him to concentrate on something other than the gorgeous brunette that he couldn't touch. That he _wouldn't_ touch.

Sexual frustration was not new to Squall, but he'd had fewer occasions to experience it since taking the job as a concierge. Indeed, this was the first client he'd had to refuse. It wasn't that he couldn't get laid _before_, it was simply that lack of time and his admittedly difficult temperament had combined to make it a rarity.

In a sense, taking the job as a concierge/escort had been therapy of a sort for him. It had forced him to consider what his clients wanted and needed, consider someone's needs and desires beyond his own, and helped to complete the thawing process that finding Ellone had started. It had humanized him, as Ellone had once observed.

Falling back into his old methods of dealing with his current frustration however wasn't achieving the results that he'd hoped. Dealing with his immediate need by hand the previous night had only served to put the beast to bed. It hadn't banished it entirely. Likewise with his efforts to work the edge off with exercise. Ordinarily if he found himself in such a position, those methods worked just fine.

But even as he was exhausting himself by beating the punching bag to a pulp, Squall could tell that it wasn't working. It was still there. _She_ was still there. He still wanted her. Still ached for her. And what drove him was deeper and stronger and wilder than mere lust. It was as frightening as it was inexorable, and he had no idea how to deal with it.

He couldn't just take her the way his body urged him to do. Even if she _wanted_ him to, he couldn't. Not just because she was a virgin, a fact that opened up an entirely new can of worms than he'd ever dealt with before. Not because that fact made a relatively simple transaction infinitely more complicated. It was because he very much feared that doing so would _not_ get her out of his system, that the conquest won would not slake his desire for her. Looking into her warm brown eyes dragged him into those bottomless depths and pulled the foundations beneath his feet away, leaving him falling… falling….

He'd never cared for falling. The sensation of hurtling toward an inevitable, inescapable doom had always terrified him, though intellectually he knew that it was never the _fall_ that did you in, but the sudden stop at the end of it. No matter how far you fell, the landing always hurt. Sometimes, it hurt a lot. Sometimes it left you shattered, broken, never to be the same again. And sometimes it killed you.

Squall slammed his fist one last time as hard as he could at the bag, swinging it back an impressive distance before swung back at him and he caught it, breathing heavily and leaning his forehead against it. Once he'd caught his breath he walked away from the bag and plucked a towel from his duffel, wiping himself off.

Rinoa was due to arrive in just a few minutes and he'd worked himself into quite a state over her, he thought ruefully. Well, this was a gym and she was going to get sweaty too, so it shouldn't matter. In fact, after they'd warmed up, maybe he'd have _her_ hitting the bag for a bit.

He'd do his best to tire both himself and her out. Hopefully exhaustion would take his mind off of her. And if he tired _her_ out, maybe she would forget about doing anything else but sleeping in his bed tonight. Perhaps, now that she'd slept and was sober, she already had.

Squall didn't know why that thought bothered him so much.

* * *

Rinoa arrived moments later and Squall mentally locked away his unsettled, roiling emotions and concentrated on instructing her. He drilled her unremittingly on the punching bag, making sure she used the correct mechanics to throw a good, solid punch without hurting herself. He showed her more striking and blocking techniques, and taught her how to be safe in whatever situation she found herself.

He even went as far as getting her a mouth guard and gloves, and encouraging her to spar with him, despite her initial trepidation.

"You need to know how to hit an actual human being, and in turn you need to know what it feels like to _be_ hit. Now, obviously we're not going to go bare knuckle here, I'm not that crazy. But this'll get the point across. Now, hit me." Squall urged her, putting in his own mouth guard.

At first, he blocked her punches easily, and glared at her as he did, his look clearly saying, _I know you can do better than THIS. _

Frowning, Rinoa focused on her technique and did her best to land an actual punch, gasping in surprise when she managed to slip through Squall's guard to punch him square in the jaw. The look of approval that earned her bolstered her courage and she began to have fun with it.

Squall worked her gradually through the levels, never hitting her harder than she hit him. But still pushing her relentlessly. Forcing her to use everything he'd taught her, forcing her to _truly_ defend herself without worrying about if she was hurting him. And finally teaching her that getting knocked down didn't necessarily mean that the fight was over.

Of course, it was still a surprise to have him solidly punch her in the jaw and knock her to the ground.

"Get up." He ordered, taking the mouth guard out so she could hear him clearly.

She simply stared at him, stunned. The blow had shocked and rattled her, leaving her jaw smarting and her pride bruised.

"Are you hurt?" he asked her. When she shook her head "no", he repeated harshly, "Then get up! You get knocked down; you get right back up and try to knock your opponent down. Now _get_ _up_!" putting his mouth guard back in, he glared at her, waiting.

Rinoa glared back, slowly coming to the realization that the instructors she'd worked with previously in the community center, tough as they'd seemed at the time, had actually been taking it easy on her. Granted, she hadn't had much more than a couple of introductory classes, but they'd obviously not possessed the skill that the former SeeD teaching her did.

Squall was _not_ taking it easy on her, though he'd brought her up to that point by such gradual degrees that she hadn't been aware of it. Not until his fist had connected solidly, _painfully_, with her jaw. That told her two things: That he didn't want her to hold back either, and that he was _serious_ about teaching her to defend herself.

Narrowing her eyes, she got to her feet, surprised that her head was still clear despite the punch to her jaw. Another lesson learned: she was tougher than she thought she was. Setting her feet, she brought her fists up and focused her attention on Squall's eyes. Not his fists or feet, but his eyes. Then she launched herself at him.

He blocked the low punch to his solar plexus and the reverse punch to his floating rib, shifting back as Rinoa pressed her attack. But either he was too slow to block, or Rinoa had actually found an opening for the high uppercut that landed solidly at the same time she employed an unexpected sweep.

The look of sheer surprise on Squall's face as he fell backward made Rinoa want to laugh. That, more than anything, told her that he hadn't been coddling her at all, a fact that warmed her.

The warmth intensified when Squall sat up, spit out his mouth guard and grinned at her, saying breathlessly, "Well done!"

Rinoa, already out of breath, suddenly wanted to faint. She'd never seen him actually _smile_ before, so the sight of him grinning up at her nearly did her in. She wondered faintly why he smiled so rarely, then decided that such a devastating weapon of mass seduction needed to be used sparingly. He was only human after all. Even _he_ had limits.

"Wow," she laughed, still trying to catch her breath, "I can't believe I knocked you down!"

Squall brought his knees up and rested his forearms on them; smile fading as he gazed up at her. "It's not an easy feat, believe me." Then he rubbed at his jaw and added, "good punch."

As he glanced at his watch and started getting to his feet, Rinoa asked him, "So, you didn't just _let_ me hit you, right?"

Squall shook his head, "No. I was really testing you. How else would I know if you'd actually learned what I'd been teaching?"

"That's a good point," Rinoa replied, then added, smiling shyly, "thank you, for not going easy on me. I feel like I actually might be able to defend myself, you know, if something happened."

"Yeah, well don't go looking for trouble now. That's not what I'm trying to teach." Squall told her. Then he added, "I don't know about you but I'm done. So let's get started with a cool down and stretch, then you can go back to the room and shower."

"What about you?" Rinoa asked him.

He shrugged in response, "I'll shower down here, same as yesterday. I don't mind."

"Do you…want to?" Rinoa asked hesitantly, cheeks pink.

Squall's mouth went dry and he asked, "Want to what?"

"Shower with me?" she responded, biting her lip and gazing at him earnestly.

_You have no idea…_ Squall thought, then swallowed, unable to respond. He wanted to, _badly._ His mind filled with images of water beading on creamy skin, of him sipping that water from her lips, from her neck, from her nipples…of him merging his body with hers amid the heat and steam of the shower. And yet…. and yet...no.

He could feel his resolve slipping away by the moment. But difficult as it was he would hold firm on _one_ thing if he could do nothing else. If she insisted, he would do his best to accommodate her and make the experience as pleasant as possible. But her first time; _their_ first time would have to be… special. Somehow.

Then he shook his head. "I'm sorry, but no." He had to be losing his mind to even consider it.

Rinoa sighed, disappointed. But inwardly, she wasn't nearly as sad as she'd sounded; she'd seen the momentary "deer in the headlights" expression that had flitted across Squall's face at her invitation. She nearly had him.

Squall forcibly pulled his mind away from the direction it had begun drifting toward, focusing on the here and now, and on what still needed to be done. They were hot, sweaty and exhausted, and Gods help him, he wished they were both naked and in his bedroom to boot. But they weren't and they needed to cool down and clean up.

Then they could go have lunch and Rinoa could do whatever she wanted with the remaining time she had left there. Maybe he'd suggest a chocobo ride for her.

And for dinner? He'd order room service, set it up on his balcony and show her the sunset. Complete with candles, crystal, and fine wine. He refused to think about _why_ he wanted to do that. Just as he refused to think about why he felt so empty inside at the thought of her leaving the next morning.

* * *

"How old are you?" Rinoa asked as the chocobo they rode walked along the beach. She'd been both surprised and intrigued at Squall's suggestion after they'd eaten lunch. She'd actually been considering doing that herself, but hadn't wanted to just go off alone, it wouldn't have been much fun. Unlike her mostly silent companion, Rinoa needed someone to talk to. She didn't like being alone all the time.

Another surprise for her was the fact that Squall didn't shrink back or protest when she snuggled into his arms after taking her place in the saddle in front of him. She wondered if he'd changed his mind or if this was what he normally did with his clients…. Then she mentally kicked herself. Of _course_ he'd do this as a matter of course with his clients, his stock –in –trade _was_ seduction after all.

It felt nice though, being held in his arms. He wasn't being overly familiar either. Instead he seemed to be mainly intent upon preventing her from falling off of their mount. Still, he held her firmly, close enough to his body that she felt warm, and safe, and secure.

Silence stretched long enough that Rinoa began to wonder if he'd answer her question. She tried to be patient with his natural reticence, but she was curious about him, darn it. She wanted to know just a little bit more about this enigmatic man whom she hoped would be her lover that night.

Finally he answered her, "I just turned twenty five this last August."

Rinoa smiled, "I thought you might be about that age. You're the same age I am. My birthday was a little over a week ago." Then she sighed at the beautiful scenery they were riding through. The beach was even lovelier up close, the water a clear turquoise blue that matched Squall's eyes perfectly.

Then she asked him, "So, do you have any family here?" Squall fell silent again and Rinoa wondered if the subject of family was something that he had a problem with. Maybe he didn't have any family at all; or maybe questions about his family brought up painful memories. Rinoa knew all too well what that felt like.

"I'm sorry, if you'd rather not answer…" Rinoa began, but Squall responded, "I have a sister."

"What's she like?" Rinoa asked.

"She's older than me. Twenty-nine. She's very gentle. Sweet. Motherly. But kind of spunky too." Squall answered her, smiling to himself as he thought of Ellone's personality. He rather thought that she'd like Rinoa, would possibly find a kindred spirit in her. Possibly, though it was unlikely that they'd ever meet.

"You sound like you love her a lot." Rinoa sighed, wishing that she hadn't been an only child.

"I do, and not just because she's my only family." Squall replied. "She was always there for me when I needed her." _until suddenly she wasn't. But that wasn't her fault. And I've found her now and I can be there for HER. _

"I wish I had an older sister sometimes. I'm an only child, and it was lonely for me, especially after my mother died. My father was always busy so it was mainly nannies that raised me." Rinoa said, sighing. Then she asked, "Does she look anything like you? I'll bet she's beautiful."

"She is, but no, she doesn't look anything like me. My mother adopted her before I was born." Squall answered.

"Your mother?" Rinoa asked, turning around to look up at his face and wondering at his faintly sad expression. "Is she…"

"She died when I was a baby. My sister looked after me while we were in the orphanage together." Squall answered her, wondering why he was talking to her about it. It wasn't relevant to their current situation, and yet there didn't seem to be any point to avoiding her questions either.

"I'm sorry. About your mother I mean. Mine died when I was six. I still miss her sometimes." Rinoa said. Squall didn't reply to that. He couldn't miss what he'd never had.

Rinoa turned back around and snuggled back into him, doing her best to give him a reverse hug, saying softly, "I'm sorry. I've made you sad, talking about her, haven't I?"

"I didn't know her." Squall replied.

"But you're still sad." Rinoa said softly. Squall didn't respond. But his arms _did_ tighten around her, pulling her in closer to him.

They'd made it to the rocky outcropping at the far end of the beach by then, and Squall turned the chocobo around and urged it back toward the stables. Conversation had died again, but Rinoa didn't mind. She had more than enough to sort through from the little she'd learned from him and about him.

Even though he said he didn't know his mother, that she'd died when he was an infant, it was obvious that it had affected him. And Rinoa could empathize with his loss, even if he could only acknowledge it vaguely. She was sad for him, but at the same time, she was happy that she'd managed to slip through his guard to finally learn a little bit more about him.

It wasn't much, really, but it was still important. She now knew that he had an adoptive sister and for a time a least, had been in an orphanage with her. She had learned that he was just a few months older than she was but seemed years beyond her in experience. She had also learned that despite his current profession, he was strangely honorable.

In all of that however, Rinoa detected one telling omission: there was no mention of his father. She wondered if he was dead too, and if Squall knew anything at all about him. Given that his mother had died while he was still a baby, it was likely that he did not.

When they arrived back at the stables, Rinoa was surprised to note that they'd spent the better part of the afternoon on that chocobo ride. It didn't seem like it had taken so long, as entranced as she had been by the view, the ride and most of all, the company she had with her.

They strolled back toward his room, in no hurry to get there, when Rinoa caught sight of a garden that she hadn't seen before. It was full of roses, tropical plants and all sorts of secret pathways, gazebos and bowers. It appeared, to Rinoa at least, to be both wild and secretive, and even just a little bit…. seductive.

Pausing, she took Squall's hand to get his attention, saying, "What a lovely garden. Let's go take a look."

"Alright," he said, following her lead as she pulled him along with her, fingers tangled with his. He could have reclaimed his hand, he supposed; she wasn't gripping it tightly after all. But he liked the feel of her hand in his, so he tightened his grip just a little.

He followed her as she wandered the garden pathways, the sunlight filtering through the overhanging foliage dappling her with light and shadow. She had worn jeans, his suggestion since they were going riding, and a wine colored knit shirt that clung just enough to be intriguing. The warm weather and the time they'd spent out in it had given her cheeks a pretty flush, though he'd been careful to warn her to wear sunscreen.

"I think this is the prettiest garden yet," Rinoa sighed, releasing his hand to cup a rose bloom and bring it to her face to inhale the perfume. She closed her eyes as she did, her rapt expression reminding Squall of a cat sniffing catnip.

He simply watched her, not protesting when she captured his hand again to lead him further down the path, deeper into the garden and the secrets that were revealed around each turn and twist of the way. They ended up in a spot that was so beautiful, peaceful and private, that Rinoa simply gazed at it in wonder.

It was shaded, it had flowers everywhere, and where there weren't flowers was soft green grass and deep green foliage. A bower or gazebo of some sort occupied one end of it, so overgrown with climbing vines of some kind; Rinoa thought they might be grapes, that it was nearly hidden entirely. A fountain, one of many in this place, added its music to the quiet whispers of the wind through the shading trees and plants.

Fascinated by the gazebo, Rinoa pulled Squall along with her to investigate it. The interior was cool and shadowy, fragrant with the scent of flowers and grapes, and drifted with leaves on the wood-plank floors. Broad benches or couches ran along each wall save the one they had entered through. It was totally secluded and private, and Rinoa had a wicked thought that they could do _anything_ there, and nobody would see it.

"It's so quiet here," Rinoa commented, then smiled at Squall, eyes sparkling, "like you."

"You learn more when you listen." Squall said.

"What do you learn?" Rinoa asked. Squall hadn't let go of her hand, she noticed. Instead, he reached out and took her other hand as well, stepping closer until their bodies nearly touched.

"Whatever there is to know." Squall answered softly. "Like how silence unnerves you so you seek to cover it up by talking. I've learned about your relationship with your father and your friends, you've told me about your favorite foods, movies, and books. You've told me of your friends, and your dog. I've learned that you truly appreciate beauty, that you love flowers, roses especially. And I've discovered that your smile could melt the coldest heart."

Rinoa stared up at him, heart beating wildly in her chest, keenly aware of his warm, strong hands holding hers. Of his body's proximity to hers and of his scent. But what caught and held her attention the most was the soft, almost lost expression she saw in his eyes.

Licking her lips, Rinoa cleared her throat and said, "You've learned a lot more about me than I've learned about you." Squall shrugged slightly, still gazing down at her, but not commenting otherwise.

Rinoa laughed softly, "and now we're back to silence."

"If you can't think of anything to say, then why say anything at all?" Squall asked her.

"Good point. My father has a similar saying; 'it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.'" she quoted.

"Wise man." Squall said.

Silence fell again, and Rinoa let it. She let the peace of the garden, the intimacy of the gazebo soak into her soul. She wanted to kiss him again. She wanted to continue where they'd left off the previous night, and the thought of doing so right there in the gazebo gave Rinoa a fluttery thrill, leaving her both nervous and excited.

She wondered how successful she'd be at seducing him. He'd probably forgotten more tricks than she knew and would see through her attempt; but, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Besides, she already knew how attracted he was to her. Perhaps it wouldn't be as difficult as she was making it out to be.

There was only one way to find out.

Releasing his hands, she slid hers up his chest, flattening them against his firm body, feeling his sculpted musculature through the thin cotton shirt he wore. She stretched up, sliding her hands to the back of his neck and tangling her fingers briefly in the hair at its nape before finally touching her lips to his and pulling him into the kiss.

Squall didn't resist. It would have been easier to reverse the incoming tide. Instead he raised his hands to her hips, pulling her close to him while increasing the pressure of his lips against hers, employing his tongue to taste and to tease. Sliding his hands up her back, he wrapped his arms around Rinoa and hugged her close. She responded in kind and they were locked together in an intimate embrace, lost together in a timeless moment.

Breaths coming short, they separated, Rinoa gazing up at him with rosy cheeks and moist, well-kissed lips. Squall too was left breathless, heart thumping painfully as he gazed down at her, feeling lost, adrift. And still falling…Bringing his hand up, he gently stroked the back of his fingers along her cheek, then threaded them through her hair.

Swallowing audibly, he finally murmured, "There's something I'd like you to see. Come with me."

* * *

Squall led her out of the gazebo, fingers tangled with Rinoa's, exactly the way she had led him in. She wondered what it was that he wanted to show her.

"Where are we going?" she asked him.

"Back to my place. It's nearly sunset." Squall answered her.

"Okay, and is that important?" Rinoa asked, mystified.

"Today it is." Squall responded. Then he asked her, "Are you hungry? I realize it's a little early yet for dinner but I had in mind to order room service and eat out on the balcony with you this evening."

Rinoa's heart fluttered a little at the blatantly romantic image that his invitation conjured and said breathlessly, "That sounds lovely." The fluttering intensified at the small smile that Squall gave her when he glanced back at her.

"Good." he said, and then asked, "What would you like to eat?"

Rinoa considered that for a moment before answering, "You know, for some reason I'm really craving fish and chips."

"All right. I'll call that in when we get back to my place." Squall said. It wasn't precisely the romantic meal _he'd_ been considering, but if that was what she wanted and she enjoyed it that was all that mattered to him. Besides, he liked fish and chips as well.

When they returned to his apartment, Rinoa excused herself to freshen up and Squall called room service to have their dinners delivered. Once she'd finished what she needed to do, she went looking for Squall.

She found him out on the balcony, leaning against the stone balustrade.

"Dinner should be here in about a half hour," he informed her as she approached him.

"What should we do until then?" Rinoa asked, coming up to lean on her elbows next to him. He glanced over at her and shrugged.

"Whatever you want." He answered her.

She smiled over at him, "We seem to be doing pretty well with the conversation."

"If you say so." He replied, watching as she sidled closer to him, looping her arm loosely through his.

"I do say so. So, what was it you wanted me to see?" She asked leaning into him slightly. He smiled slightly, fully aware of what she was doing, and threaded his fingers through hers.

"It's not time yet." He told her.

Rinoa sighed at his answer; "well then, I guess you're going to have to tell me a little bit more about yourself."

"What do you want to know?" He asked.

"Hmmm…" Rinoa made a show of pondering his question, then smiled at him and asked, "Favorite color?"

"Blue."

"Favorite food?"

"Hmmm. That's a tough one. Guess I'll go with fish and chips. Balamb fish, of course." He answered.

"I'll bet you were a picky eater as a kid." Rinoa commented, recalling his oddly methodical process of eating grapes.

Squall shook his head, "No, I wasn't. Complaints weren't allowed. You ate what you were given or you didn't eat."

Rinoa swallowed, suddenly saddened by what his response hinted. "Was… was that a rule in the orphanage?"

"That, and Balamb Garden." Squall replied.

"That's where you trained to be a SeeD, right?" Rinoa asked.

"You've heard of it then. I suppose I'm not surprised, given who your father is." Squall stated.

"What was it like? How long does it take to become a SeeD?" Rinoa wondered.

"A very long time. Most of us at Balamb Garden are orphans. Those that show aptitude for it are fast-tracked into the SeeD program, usually at around age seven or eight. Gifted kids are taken earlier. I was enrolled at age five. I spent the next twelve years learning to become a SeeD, and I graduated at seventeen." Squall answered her, directing his attention out toward the sea.

Then he added, "It wasn't bad there, I suppose. I was educated, I got fed regularly. I was trained to a career that paid pretty well. I got to travel the world, see new things and new places. And Garden itself is beautiful, as is Balamb."

"You sound like you miss it." Rinoa said, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"A little sometimes. Up until two years ago it was the only life I knew." Squall replied.

Rinoa had just started to ask him again why he'd left it when there was a knock at the front door .

Squall gently pulled free of her and started toward the door, saying over his shoulder, "That's probably room service. Just wait here."

"Okay." Rinoa turned and leaned back against the balustrade, watching him leave. He returned a short time later with the room service guy and the trolley that Rinoa assumed carried their meals.

Rinoa watched as everything was set up; a white linen cloth was thrown over the patio table, dishes and utensils were transferred over from the trolley, wine poured, and finally a small, fragrant candle in a glass holder was lit. The result was incredibly beautiful.

"Everything's ready." Squall told her, inviting her to sit down.

"It's lovely," Rinoa said, smiling warmly at him as she took the seat he'd pulled out for her. She inhaled the mouthwatering smell of the fish and chips and was suddenly very hungry.

He came around the table and took the seat opposite hers and said, "It gets better. Just wait."

Crunching into one of her filets, Rinoa sighed, "mmmm, this is good. So, what are we waiting for?"

"The sunset," Squall answered her. "It should be starting in about a half hour or so. You can already see the light changing."

Rinoa gazed out toward the sea and around, only then becoming aware of the golden quality of the light that heralded the waning of the sun. She sipped at the wine he'd poured, a light, just slightly dry white that paired perfectly with the fish.

"You're right," she said softly. "I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't pointed it out. Thank you."

"Just keep watching the sea. It gets better." Squall directed her.

"I'd rather watch you instead. The way the sun has poured gold all over you. You're more beautiful than anything I can look at out there." Rinoa said.

Squall's mouth went dry and he was at a loss for words for a moment. Her simple observation was completely unexpected and utterly disarming as a result. He took a sip of his wine, trying to regain his composure and hoping that the warmth he suddenly felt in his cheeks wasn't a blush, and that she didn't notice it if it was.

Clearing his throat, he said, "That's supposed to be _my_ line."

Rinoa smiled at him, noticing the blush and finding it endearing, "It's more true in your case."

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is."

He laughed softly at her insistence, then indicated the view, "You'll want to pay attention to this though. It's worth it."

Rinoa's smile broadened at the soft laughter she'd managed to pull from him, counting it a major victory. It made her willing to be magnanimous, so she nodded regally at him and turned her attention back to the view of the coastline.

"If you say so."

"I do."

Rinoa turned her attention back to her dinner, finishing her meal, and watched in wonder as the light gradually changed from the rich gold that had burnished everything to a brilliant blaze of fire across the sky above the seashore. Wispy clouds that Rinoa hadn't noticed before turned into brushstrokes of gold, scarlet and rose against a backdrop of blue that gradually deepened in color and hue to lavender and then violet.

It hadn't taken long, Rinoa realized, and suddenly the sky was crimson, and indigo, and midnight blue. But just as the final blaze of skyfire was dimming, with just a stain of red on the horizon above the sea, a sudden rain of stars flitting across the evening sky appeared, prompting Rinoa to gasp.

"Oh, my…" She got up from the table and walked toward the edge of the balcony, entranced by the sight.

"Is this…. Is this what you wanted me to see?" Rinoa asked breathlessly.

Squall got up from the table as well and joined Rinoa at the balcony's edge, coming up behind her and stopping just before he touched her.

"No," he finally answered humbly. "I only wanted to show you the sunset. They're spectacular here. I'd…. forgotten that the meteor shower was happening tonight."

"It's…beautiful. Magical." She whispered. "I couldn't wish enough wishes for all of these falling stars…"

"If you only make one wish then, it's guaranteed to come true." Squall said, shocking himself by that bit of whimsy. He wasn't given to whimsical flights of fancy. But the night was lovely, Rinoa was lovelier and…the shower of falling stars had added to the magic.

Rinoa turned then, the light in her eyes reflected in her smile as she breathed, "Then I wish for you to make love with me…" then she paused, realizing she'd gotten it wrong and said, "I'm sorry, I mean…"

"I know what you mean." Squall interrupted her gently. He sighed and stepped away from her to lean upon the balustrade. The cooling night air did not soothe him; the gentle whisper of surf did not take away the ache that had begun in his chest. A frightening sense of inevitability came over him, and he didn't know if he had the strength any more to fight it. Much less the will to do so.

Confused by his withdrawal, Rinoa joined him at the balustrade, this time slipping her arm around his waist and pressing herself close to his body. His arm automatically came around her and she smiled to herself at this small triumph.

She tried again, whispering, "Please? I want you to. I know you'll make it…good. You're a professional at this, so you know what you're doing and…"

"Stop." Squall said in a strangled voice. Taking a deep breath, he said without looking at her, "you deserve better than that. Than me. Your first time should be with someone you love who loves you in return. It shouldn't be with a…." he couldn't finish.

Rinoa fell silent, but she didn't pull away. She also didn't try to fight the tears that had welled up in her eyes, or the sob that broke her voice when she finally said, "A year ago, it would have been. A year ago, I would have been someplace as beautiful as this, on my honeymoon with my new husband." Tears blinded her as they flowed down her face, and she struggled for breath as she continued, "but…he... he was killed, just weeks before the wedding. Mortar attack, they said. They couldn't save him. They tried, but…" she collapsed into sobs and this time, Squall didn't pull away from her, instead pulling her close and holding her.

He didn't say anything. He couldn't. "I'm sorry," just didn't seem to be enough, and he'd never been very good with other people's emotional issues anyway. He had enough of his own to deal with. But simply holding her, that seemed to be the right thing to do; certainly the way she clung to him gave him the sense that it was what she wanted from him.

So he tightened his arms around her and let her cry into his chest, stroking her hair gently. He couldn't fight what was happening to him anymore. Something, sometime during the last couple of days, had taken root within him. He could feel it growing, growing into something he didn't have a name for yet. Not yet.

Her storm of weeping finally passed and Squall kissed the top of her head gently then looked down into her upturned face as she looked up at him. He raised his hand to her cheek, cupping it and using his thumb to gently brush the tears away. Then he kissed her. Closing his eyes, he gave himself up to it, tasting both wine and tears on her lips; kissing her with equal parts of sweetness and heat. Which Rinoa reciprocated.

He pulled back to catch his breath, gazing down at her and caressing her hair. And Squall Leonhart, a former high-ranking member of SeeD, a group of warriors known for their combat skills and tenacity, and feared for the fact that they asked no quarter and gave none, did something he'd never done before in his life.

He surrendered.

"All right." He whispered, gazing into her deep brown eyes. Lost. Adrift. And still falling….


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter VII

Rinoa's heart started pounding fit to burst. She was elated. She was nervous. She was a little surprised that he'd capitulated so readily, and she was also still just a little bit scared. But she wanted this. She wanted _him_.

Greatly daring, she brought her hand up to caress his cheek, wanting to feel for herself if it was as soft, as smooth as it looked. It was, though she could feel just a hint of roughness from the whiskers that were just starting. Fascinated by the ever so slight abrasion, she brushed the backs of her fingers over his cheek.

He caught her hand in his, pressing it against his cheek briefly and closing his eyes. Rinoa's senses seemed preternaturally heightened, her focus sharpened to impress into her mind the tiniest details of everything that she saw, felt, and experienced. Squall's woody, spicy scent, the warmth of his hand as it covered hers, the almost tickly sensation of his thumb caressing her palm, the softness of his lips as he turned his head to kiss it.

He kept hold of her hand and lowered his, opening his eyes to gaze at her for a moment before he finally said quietly, "come on."

She focused on the solid strength of his hand, and the calluses she could feel under her palm, as he led her across the balcony and through the doors. She drew strength from his firm grip- neither so tight as to be painful, nor so loose as to seem weak and uncertain.

She followed him across the main room of his apartment and into his bedroom. Once there he stopped and turned to face her, taking her other hand.

"You know how this is all supposed to work, right? What has to happen?" Squall asked her softly, hoping she at least knew _that_ much.

Swallowing, Rinoa nodded and answered, "Yes. I'm not _completely_ ignorant. I know the… the mechanics of it. Just never got to the practice part."

"I see." Squall said, moving closer to her. Releasing her hands, he ran his palms lightly up her arms to her shoulders, sending a warm thrill throughout Rinoa's nerve endings and prompting her to shiver slightly.

Kissing her softly on the forehead, Squall murmured, "I'll do my best to…" he moved to one of her cheeks, kissing it lightly, "make this as…" he kissed her other cheek, a feathery light peck that prompted her to close her eyes and sigh softly, "pleasurable for you as possible." His lips found hers and fused with them as his hands tightened their grip on her shoulders and brought her closer until her body was flush against his.

He kissed her lightly, pressing his lips against hers, rubbing, sipping, nibbling at them, making her heart pound and breath come short, making her ache for more as he teased her. Rinoa slipped her hands around his waist and let them travel up his back, pressing herself against him. Squall's hands meanwhile had both moved from her shoulders to the back of her neck, fingers threading through her hair.

Gently caressing the back of her neck, Squall moved his lips from hers and lightly trailed them along her cheek, resting his against it as he asked her softly, "are you nervous?"

"Yes," Rinoa breathed in answer, then swallowed and added, "but…don't stop. Please." Yes, she was still quivering with nerves deep in her guts, but she was also quivering with both excitement and need.

Squall rubbed his cheek lightly against hers, the slight roughness of stubble sending shocks through her sensitized nerve endings. He brushed his lips against her cheek again, leaving a trail of feathery light kisses down her neck, making her tremble and catch her breath.

Bringing his lips back up her neck, he brushed them against her ear, making her gasp and shiver again as he whispered, "We'll go slowly. If you don't like something, or are uncomfortable, tell me and I'll stop."

"Really?" Rinoa asked.

Squall turned to look into her eyes, cradling her face gently in his hands, and answered her softly, "Yes. I won't want to. In fact I would hate to. But if you don't want to continue, I _will_ stop."

Rinoa simply studied his face for a moment, caught by the peculiar expression in his eyes. Soft, and warm, like the turquoise water just outside his window; they invited her to swim in them, _drown_ in them. Rinoa dove in without a second thought.

Tightening her arms around him, Rinoa reached up and pressed her lips firmly, insistently against his, telling him without words what she wanted. Squall responded by deepening the kiss, employing his tongue to further tantalize and inflame. Heat rose and threatened to overwhelm them both, and Squall found it difficult not to get too carried away.

But he couldn't let go, not yet. This was about _her_, and _her_ pleasure, not his. He couldn't lose sight of that fact lest he run the risk of ruining the experience for her. So he took a firm hold of the hunger growling deep within him and reined it in. He focused instead on his senses; on what he was seeing, and feeling, and on how Rinoa responded to him.

She was surprisingly bold in some ways, virginally shy in others. Her eagerness to unbutton his shirt to caress and kiss his chest, reminiscent of the previous night, juxtaposed with her hesitation to go further than the waistband of his jeans. The dichotomy fascinated him. And her willingness to explore him as he explored her grew as things progressed, to the point that it threatened to undo his hard won control. _Threatened_ to, but as long as he kept his attention on _her_, he could maintain it.

He concentrated upon the way she sighed and gasped when he nibbled lightly at the sensitive skin under her ear. Upon the way she trembled after he'd pulled off her shirt and removed her bra, skimming his hands down her arms to pull it off. The way her breath trembled from him trailing his fingers lightly up her arms again, then over to cup and caress her breasts, brushing his thumbs over her nipples. Upon the quiet moan that whispered from her as he bent down to take first one, then the other into his mouth, suckling and teasing them with his tongue.

He followed her pace, allowing her to touch and caress him at will, just as he did with her as clothing was removed and their bodies were revealed. If she had asked him, as he'd asked her, if he was nervous, he'd have had to answer yes. It was a daunting challenge to take on, one that would certainly put his skills to the test. Well, he could only do his best, and hope that it would be enough.

Rinoa meanwhile was adrift in a sensual haze, much like the previous night. The only difference being the fact that her mind was clear and her senses were sharpened by desire. She wanted to fully absorb every moment, so she sighed at the light tracing of his fingers over her bare skin, at the pressure of his lips as they followed the paths his fingers had taken. She took in the feel of his callused hands undressing her and caressing what was revealed, the way his breath hitched when she did the same, proving he was as caught up in the dance as she.

And yes, when he took her into his arms on his bed, his hands _were _warm, as warm as she had daydreamed they'd be. And they felt much better caressing her thighs and hips than she'd ever imagined they would. He seemed intent upon kissing and caressing every inch of her body, stoking the fires and increasing the tension in her lower abdomen, making her fight for breath as he brought her to the edge.

The delicate touch of his fingers in her most sensitive of places, and the teasing kisses he trailed up her inner thigh had her nearly weeping as he left her hovering there. She couldn't think any more, only feel, and what she felt was indescribable. Then Squall replaced his fingers with his tongue and Rinoa was catapulted into the unknown.

A sobbing moan was torn from her throat as Squall pushed her over the edge, relentlessly teasing her and sending shockwaves of pleasure throughout her body. She arched her back, gripping the blanket beneath her as she shuddered in the throes of the most intense orgasm she'd ever experienced.

She and Allyn had played before, but never like _this_.

"Oh…my…" she managed breathlessly.

"Stay with me Rinoa," Squall murmured softly, dropping soft kisses up her abdomen and making her gasp again. "We're not done yet."

Oh. Right. She felt a little touch of nerves again, but it was fading in the face of what she'd already experienced. And even as the aftershocks of her orgasm faded, Squall continued to kiss and caress her body. She sighed and closed her eyes, reaching out to run her fingers through Squall's hair as he caressed, teased and suckled at her breasts and nipples. The smooth, warm silk of his hair was at least as fascinating to her as what he was doing to her body.

She left off for a moment when he paused, gazing down into her face and said, "this next part may be…uncomfortable." Rinoa swallowed apprehensively as he leaned away from her for a moment reaching for something. When he returned she saw that it was a condom he'd been reaching for. She couldn't stop herself from watching as he covered himself, fascinated by the process.

He leaned forward then, and stroked her hair lightly away from her face. Then he kissed her lightly once, twice, distracting her while he shifted and settled himself against and on top of her. Rinoa smoothed her hands up his back, liking the feel of his hard muscles under her hands, the weight and warmth of his body as it rested against hers.

She could feel him, poised and ready but so far he hadn't gone any farther than where he currently was. It left her both excited and apprehensive, something that Squall somehow picked up on.

Resting upon his elbows, he started with the feather light kisses on her cheeks, neck and lips, lingering there and gradually getting hotter, deeper and wetter. Making her ache for more.

"Are you ready?" he breathed into her ear, making her sigh.

Rinoa wrapped her arms around him and whispered, "Yes."

Watching Rinoa's reactions carefully, Squall pushed forward slowly until she gasped and clutched at him and he felt the resistance that he knew would be there. He stopped then and simply held her, worried about the slight tremors that he felt.

"You okay?" he asked her, doing his best to calm her with gentle kisses.

"Yes," she gasped. "Just…give me a minute to get used to…. this…"

"Take your time." Squall whispered. It was awkward, holding his position, and more than a little frustrating when his body was crying out for him to continue. So he focused upon Rinoa, not only for her benefit but also for his own as well, to take his mind off the release that he was craving.

Slow, sweet kisses calmed her trembling, while caressing her face and hair lightly helped her to relax. Eventually she began to respond to him, her kisses getting hotter while her hands roamed up and down his back.

"Are you…" Squall gasped, aching as she continued to kiss him, finding it hard to focus while she was nibbling on his neck.

"Please, yes…Oh…please…" Rinoa whispered urgently, her initial discomfort had eased and the sensation became more pleasurable so she felt ready to proceed. Squall groaned in relief at her encouragement, kissing her deeply as he surged forward in a hard thrust.

The tearing pain that resulted startled Rinoa into a yelp, then a strangled sob. She couldn't control the tremors or the tears that flooded her eyes, but did her best not to let Squall see them by burying her face into the curve of his neck. She knew this part would hurt, but she'd still been surprised by how much.

It had surprised Squall as well, and he swallowed, his heart sinking as he held her and felt her shudders. But there was no going back now; he couldn't even if he wanted to. The only thing he could do from this point was to make sure that she forgot the pain.

"Shh….shh…" He whispered, stroking her hair. He was doing his best, if awkwardly, to comfort her. It wasn't something he'd ever had to do before under such circumstances. And the cry she'd let out… it had pierced straight through to his heart.

"It'll get better. I'll make sure it does. Still with me?" Squall whispered, kissing her forehead, heart thumping painfully at the tears that had gathered in her eyes. He couldn't hold back a sigh of relief at her tremulous nod, and he wiped away the moisture under her eyes and kissed her again.

He started slowly, carefully, in deference to her newness, doing his best not to get too caught up in how she felt under and around him. It was difficult for him _not_ to get carried away though because she fit him like a glove. Not just where he was joined with her, although that was enough to drive him out of his mind; but in the way her arms and legs wrapped around him, in the way their bodies fit together like they were made for each other.

Rinoa bore it up the best she could, biting her lip and holding on to Squall as he moved slowly and carefully within her. At first, all she could feel was pain, and very little pleasure, and she began to worry that it would all be for nothing. That she would get only _that_ for her first time. Then it was pain, mixed with a little bit of pleasure. And then pain with a little more pleasure. And as things progressed, the pain _did_ lessen and fade away, and pleasure gradually took its place. Eventually the sobbing moans and gasps that Rinoa emitted were wholly from the pleasure she was feeling, and not from pain.

Upon seeing and hearing Rinoa's obvious enjoyment of their lovemaking, Squall felt a huge sense of relief that she'd finally turned the corner. Still, he kept the pace gentle and slow, despite the gut-deep urge he had to step up the tempo and intensity. No way would she be ready for that. Not yet.

That didn't mean that things didn't get hot and intense despite the gentle pace. Indeed, the slow build of tension as they wrapped themselves up in each other provided a more than satisfactory conclusion to their interlude. Squall had worried that she wouldn't be able to peak a second time, that the orgasm he'd brought her to orally was the only one she'd have. But that was when he'd actually been able to think.

He was operating wholly on instinct now, taking his cues from Rinoa's responses and following as well as leading her toward something…. wonderful.

His focus narrowed to his pounding heart, his racing blood and his starving lungs. To the tension in both his body and the body of the woman in his arms, to the way her caresses changed from light and tentative to hard, desperate clutching, nails digging into his back.

He felt the tension break free when Rinoa threw her head back in a gasping, sobbing moan, nails leaving trails of fire down his back as she shuddered in the throes of her orgasm. The feel of her shaking in his arms and pulsing around him was more than he could take and his release followed hard upon the heels of hers, leaving _him_ gasping and shaking as well.

He collapsed for a moment, feeling completely drained, trying to reorder his scattered wits. He closed his eyes for a moment when gentle fingers began combing through the hair at the back of his neck, further transporting him into a state of bliss.

"Are you okay?" Rinoa asked him in a whisper.

"Hmm?" Squall lifted his head and peered down into her face, frowning slightly. "I should be asking you that."

"Well, you just sort of…went limp… It worried me." she murmured softly.

"It happens. Don't worry about it, I'm fine." Squall reassured her, punctuating his comment with a light kiss. Then he shifted, carefully withdrawing from her, prompting her to gasp.

"Okay?" he asked her, concerned.

"I feel a little raw," Rinoa admitted, cheeks turning pink.

"You _are_ a little raw," Squall replied, frowning down at his groin. "I'll be right back."

Rinoa bit her lip, wondering what he'd meant. Then she shifted and saw the stains on his bedding and wanted to die right there. By the time Squall returned from the bathroom, Rinoa had worked herself into a state close to tears.

"I'm so sorry," she gasped. "I've ruined your linens…."

"What?" Squall asked, running his hand through his hair, puzzled. Then he saw what she was referring to and winced slightly.

Coming up to the bed he knelt down in front of her and took her face in his hands, shushing her gently. "Don't worry about it. It'll wash." Then he added with a little less certainty, "I guess that's…normal."

"You don't know?" Rinoa asked, finding that amusing for some reason.

Squall shrugged slightly, looking sheepish, "Only what I've heard. I've never been with a virgin before, so this was kind of a first for me too." Then he added awkwardly, "you may want to um…deal with that." He gestured vaguely toward the bathroom and Rinoa nodded, getting the hint.

While she was gone Squall dealt with the bedding. It was only the one bedspread and it wasn't terrible. Still, it would be a little tough to explain the bloodstains to housekeeping. Squall shuddered at the thought, and tossed the spread into the hamper with the rest of the laundry. He'd wash it himself. By the time Rinoa returned Squall was already pulling the sheets back and preparing to get into the bed.

"Oh! You…uh…" Rinoa began, noticing the new bedspread and biting her lip.

"Yeah. Don't worry about it." Squall repeated, getting into the bed. Propping his head on his fist, he patted the bed with his other hand, inviting her, "Come in."

Rinoa hesitated briefly, but the memories of how his arms had felt around her, and how his warmth had seeped into her while he held her, decided her. She got back into the bed and sighed as his arms came around her.

She shifted, snuggling closer, and rested her head upon his chest. She lay silent for a moment, listening to him breathe, listening to his heartbeat. His warmth and his scent combined with his heartbeat to soothe her, giving her a wonderful sense of comfort. She closed her eyes as she felt his hand softly caressing her hair. It wasn't fair that she had to leave in the morning. Not when she'd only just discovered …or was on the _verge_ of discovering… Something wonderful.

Some_one_ wonderful. Maybe.

Stroking her hand up his chest, and fascinated by the smooth texture of his skin, the hard muscles beneath, and the number and variety of his battle scars, Rinoa shifted, placing a gentle kiss on his chest where her head had rested.

"Thank you," She whispered. "Thank you for making love with me. Thank you for being so…. kind about it. It was…amazing."

"You're welcome. I'm glad to hear it." Squall murmured, kissing the top of her head softly.

"Did you…um… enjoy it too?" Rinoa asked hesitantly.

"I should think that would have been obvious." Squall answered, amused.

"Yeah. I guess so." Rinoa replied, then looked up into his face, eyes sparkling and asked, "So…I was your first virgin, huh?"

"Yes," Squall answered, charmed by her rosy-cheeked smile.

"So, until tonight you were a virgin-virgin?" she asked him, smile broadening into a grin.

"A…What?" he asked, startled. Rinoa simply smiled at him and he finally got the joke and started laughing.

Rinoa's heart seemed to stop, watching him laugh. Aquamarine eyes glittering with amusement, teeth flashing whitely as his lips stretched wide in a grin. He truly had a beautiful smile, something Rinoa didn't expect judging by their first meeting.

"I guess you could say that," Squall finally said, still chuckling.

Rinoa yawned softly and laid her head back onto his chest, saying, "You're pretty good for a virgin-virgin." She smiled again as his laughter shook her.

"Thank you." He said, kissing the top of her head. They fell silent for a moment, and Squall sighed as Rinoa resumed tracing the network of scars on his chest. Rather than bothering him, it soothed him. He liked the feel of her soft hands on his body.

"So many scars," Rinoa whispered. "Is it so dangerous to be a SeeD?"

"Yes." Squall answered her simply.

"So, you weren't joking when you mentioned wanting to live to reach thirty." Rinoa stated.

"No." Squall replied, then added, "Of course, for me this was more about finding a reason to _want_ to live to thirty. And maybe past it."

"You didn't have one before?" Rinoa asked with a frown.

"No. Not really. I mean, there _was_ Elle; looking for her kept me going but…really there was nothing else." Squall answered her.

"Elle?" Rinoa asked him, looking up into his face.

He reached over and caressed her cheek and answered her softly, "My sister. Ellone. We were separated when I was about five. I guess she was adopted or something. She hasn't really said yet. I spent pretty much the rest of my life looking for her, missing her. When I made SeeD at seventeen I started searching in earnest. I finally found her two years ago."

"That's when you left SeeD." Rinoa stated, beginning to understand him, a little.

"She needed me." Squall said.

"And you needed her too." Rinoa said.

Squall studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. I did."

"Then I'm glad you found her." Rinoa said softly. Squall swallowed and looked away for a moment. For some reason, her comment and her understanding had brought back that odd pang in his heart again. They were both silent for a moment, and Squall thought Rinoa might be falling asleep.

"You know, I've been meaning to ask you about your tattoo." Rinoa began, changing the subject and proving that she hadn't succumbed to sleep yet.

"What about it?" He asked her.

"Well, I know the black and white badge thing, that's the SeeD's symbol, right?" She asked him in return.

"Yeah," Squall answered, nodding.

"What about the rest of it? That letter and those three bars? What do they signify?" Rinoa wondered.

"My rank." Squall answered, then elaborated, "The 'A' was my SeeD level, and the three bars was my rank designation. Commander, if you want to know."

Rinoa didn't know much about SeeD ranks, but she was impressed nonetheless. "So, is that like a colonel or captain or something?" she asked, trying to fit it into a framework that she was familiar with.

"No, it was more like a General I guess. I commanded all of the SeeDs for a while. All requests for SeeD assistance came through me, and I was the one that deployed them." Squall answered.

"And now you do this," Rinoa said, yawning and closing her eyes, starting to get sleepy.

"Not…_just_ this. In fact…" Squall began, to be interrupted by Rinoa mumbling sleepily, "Well, you've done a good job tonight. Well worth your fee…"

"Yeah… about that…" Squall said uncomfortably, only to be interrupted by a soft snore. She had fallen asleep.

Damn. He'd wanted to tell her that the fee didn't matter. It hadn't mattered since the previous night, when he'd submitted a refund to the card that had paid for Rinoa's visit. He'd also wanted to tell her the reason why he'd made it a point to book only blonds. Why she drove him out of his mind, and why he wanted, badly, not to have to say good-bye to her in the morning.

Most of all, he wanted to tell her that this night had meant something to him. He hadn't sold himself for long enough to become so jaded that it hadn't, and he'd have been lying if he'd said that it was just about the sex. It was more than that. Much more.

How _much_ more he had yet to determine, and it was too late now to try to figure it out. She was flying back to the other side of the world in the morning. Going back to her life… her friends, her family…. in time he'd just be a pleasant memory. At least he hoped he would.

Certainly, _he'd_ never want to forget _her_. He didn't think he could even if he tried.

He lay there a quiet, brief eternity and watched her sleep, memorizing the color of her hair and its smooth, silky texture. Imprinting the feel, the scent, the taste of her, the warmth of her body as it lay next to his into his mind. Into his soul. Into his heart. And he was still falling. Falling forever it seemed. He knew the end was coming; that the fall would finally end painfully but that didn't matter anymore. When you can't fight fate, the only thing you can do is to close your eyes and enjoy the fall. If you fall far enough you can extend your arms and fool yourself into believing that you're flying. That brief, soaring moment can almost make you believe that it's worth getting shattered in the end.

That night, as Squall finally let sleep take him, he dreamed of wings.

* * *

An alarm, ringing insistently, roused Squall out of the best sleep he'd had in a long time. Rinoa had shifted position during the night and lay curled on her side, facing away from him. It was fortunate that she had, so Squall could leap quickly out of his bed and snatch up the cellphone that was still ringing.

"What's up?" he asked quietly, already padding over to his dresser to grab some clothes. His crew usually never called him on weekends. They were more than competent enough to handle virtually anything that might occur during that time. But the alarm that had sounded as the ring tone for his phone had only one purpose…it was for emergencies only.

"I'm sorry for calling you boss, but we have a situation here and really need your help." It was the shift lead, Eric. If _he_ felt it necessary to call then the situation really _was_ more than he could handle. Eric was one of Squall's best crew leads.

"Talk to me," Squall ordered in a low voice, pulling on a pair of pants.

"Why are you whispering?" Eric asked him, puzzled.

"I'm not alone. What's going on?" Squall demanded, pulling on his socks and putting on his shoes.

"Sorry man," Eric said, then reported, "We had a perimeter breach to the northwest. Both outer barriers and the inner fence. We took care of the two toramas that came through but we're having trouble with a big behemoth that followed them in. It's already taken out three guys and we're doing our best just to hold it at bay."

Squall swore quietly, then ordered, "all right. Pull back and go for containment. Don't let it past you but don't attack it either. I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Okay. We'll hold it here. We're at sector 6A." Eric said.

"Understood." Squall replied, then rang off and stuck his phone into his pocket. Quickly lacing up his boots, he pulled on the shirt he'd grabbed along with his pants, got up from the corner of the bed where he'd been sitting and walked around it toward his closet.

He moved as quietly as he normally did, but the alarm from his cellphone had already disturbed Rinoa's sleep. And even being as quiet as possible, loading bullets into a gunblade wasn't a _completely_ silent process. Still, a gasp from behind him as he slid Lionheart into the sheath he wore on his back surprised him a little.

The alarm had indeed awakened Rinoa, though she'd tried to drift back to sleep despite the low voiced conversation that Squall had been having with whomever it was that had called. From what she'd been able to make out, it sounded as if something had occurred which required his attention as he'd immediately started to get dressed the moment he picked up the cell phone.

Rinoa had debated with herself over letting him know she was awake or simply watching him dress and trying to go back to sleep after he left. He was difficult to see in the darkness, the black clothing he'd donned causing him to melt into the shadows. But she saw his shadowy form head to the closet, heard him pull out and open something that sounded like a case, and proceed to do what could only be loading bullets into a firearm of some sort. It certainly _sounded_ like it at any rate. Rinoa _had_ heard her father loading his own guns a time or two in the past, and it certainly sounded similar to that.

So she was surprised into a gasp when she actually _saw_ the weapon that Squall was loading when he slid it into the sheath that she hadn't even noticed was on his back. It was impossible _not_ to see it; it was nearly as long as his body and the blade _glowed_ with a cold, blue light.

Squall turned quickly at the sound and approached the bed, kneeling down next to it, whispering, "I'm sorry about that. Some SeeD I am; can't even get dressed without waking the woman in my bed. I must be slipping."

"You're not a SeeD anymore." Rinoa said, stating the obvious.

Squall snorted quietly, "You're right." He reached out and caressed her cheek, face impossible to read in the darkness.

"What's happened?" Rinoa asked him, swallowing and reaching up to press his hand against her cheek.

"Perimeter breach, and its more than my guys can handle, so I need to give them a hand." Squall answered her softly. "I'll be back though."

Rinoa was thankful for the darkness that hid the moisture gathering in her eyes as she whispered, "So you can say good bye…"

Squall's breath hitched, then he swallowed and said, "To see you off at the airport. I'd….I'd like to see you again, sometime." _Sometime soon, I hope._

"So would…." Rinoa began, when the alarm began ringing again.

"Shit!" Squall whispered. "Rinoa, I have to go." He hesitated a moment, then crushed his lips against hers in a searing, though devastatingly brief, kiss. Then he got up and hurried out of the apartment.

Rinoa lay back onto the bed, heart still pounding from his kiss. She hoped he would hurry back, for she suddenly, desperately, wanted to make love with him again, one last time.

* * *

"Took you long enough," Eric commented wryly when Squall finally made it over to where they were still holding off the monster. "She must have been a cutie."

"Shut up." Squall said mildly, studying the situation and the large, horned, purple beast that crouched at bay, still snarling, tail still lashing. There was no question of driving it back out into the wild. The barriers would have to be repaired and the beast would still be out there, a threat to the repair crews and everyone at the resort.

Pulling out his gunblade, he cocked the hammer and ordered, "Pull everyone back. Give me some room to work, but don't let it get past you, no matter what. If it looks like it's going to break through your perimeter, throw everything you've got at it, even if I'm in the way."

Eric frowned, "but…"

"Do it."

"Right." Eric turned to the other personnel gathered around, and called out, "You heard him! Pull back!"

The gathered security force backed up, expanding the space between the behemoth and the men. As they moved, Squall advanced, his step measured, his eyes watchful. The creature immediately focused its attention on Squall; its growl deepening as it shifted to keep Squall in sight.

Squall walked around it, gunblade ready, satisfied that it kept its attention on him, turning its head to follow him as he moved toward its rear. It's aggressive attitude increased, and Squall knew it wouldn't take much to incite it to charge. When Squall reached the position he wanted, with his back to the breached barrier and the monster's snarl increasing in pitch, he let out a piercing whistle to make sure he caught its attention and bolted for the gap.

"C'mon ugly!" He challenged. "Let's play tag!"

As he'd hoped, the creature immediately charged. Casting a glance over his shoulder and seeing the beast in full stride, Squall immediately put on the brakes and dodged aside. The behemoth's momentum and greater weight made it hard for it to correct its direction as quickly as Squall, and he took advantage of it.

While it was still turning and off balance, he attacked it. A powerful down stroke on the monster's thick neck, an explosion as Squall pulled the trigger and shot it through with the pulse ammo he'd loaded wounded the creature and it cried out, stumbling. It recovered its feet quickly and slewed its head around, seeking to hook Squall with its horns, but Squall blocked the attack and countered with a slash across the beast's face.

The behemoth roared in pain and slashed at Squall with its clawed forepaws, which Squall only narrowly managed to dodge. The angrier the creature got, the more agile it became it seemed, and its attacks became subsequently more difficult to avoid. And the slashing claws weren't the only things that Squall had to watch out for. The monster also had a spiked tail that it used like a mace.

Parrying the behemoth's clawed attack, Squall managed to find another opening and charged in, scoring a good hit on its already injured neck, employing the pulse ammo loaded into the gunblade's magazine once again to good effect. The monster countered with a tail-swipe that Squall narrowly avoided by diving to the side and rolling to his feet.

The monster staggered, weakened by Squall's last attack, but kept after him. He easily avoided the creature's subsequent attempts to gore or slash at him, and finally saw a good opening and darted in to deliver the final blow, ramming his gunblade deeply into the base of the beast's bull neck, releasing a fountain of purple-black blood. The behemoth collapsed with a roar of pain, dying. Squall jerked his gunblade free and ducked the creature's convulsive twitches as it fought its inevitable demise, walking around it calmly to wrap things up with his crew lead.

Eric was shaking his head as he approached Squall, meeting him halfway. "Boss, we're glad to have you here, but man, you make us all look like first year cadets."

Squall shrugged, "You guys could have handled it if three of you hadn't been injured. I'll have to talk to those guys to see what went wrong."

Eric snorted, "Oh, just admit it already! You're a badass!"

"Whatever." Squall replied. Eric laughed at Squall's standard response and started to retort, when he saw movement from the monster behind Squall.

Eric's look of horror was the only warning Squall had. He immediately whirled, gunblade automatically at guard, and only just deflected what might otherwise have been a killing blow from the behemoth's spiked tail. The dying creature's blow lacked power due to its weakened state, but was still strong enough to send Squall, who was already off-balance, flying. He did his best to control his landing to minimize injury but still landed awkwardly, hitting his head. Pain exploded behind his eyes before he was sent tumbling into darkness.

* * *

Author's Notes: Okay! I will admit I did have a little difficulty with this chapter, because i wanted it to be both sweet, awkward and a just a little bit matter -of -fact...as one's first time having sex typically is. Hopefully I didn't gross anybody out, and of course the level of detail is a bit of a challenge too as i didn't want to get TOO explicit.

And yes, darn it, another evil cliffhanger. Now you're just gonna have to wait to see what happens next. ;)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter VIII

Rinoa shifted and rolled over onto her side, burying her head into her pillow, attempting to drift back to sleep. An insistent ringing noise cut through the siren song of sleep however, the same insistent, never-ending noise that had roused her from the blissful slumber she'd been enjoying. Growling under her breath, she groped blindly for the source, discovering it to be the phone on the lamp table next to the bed.

Fumbling with the receiver, she finally got it situated more or less where it was supposed to be and rolled onto her back, mumbling, "Wha..?"

"Good morning, Miss Heartilly. This is your seven-thirty A. M. wake up call. Is there anything that you'd like to order for your breakfast?" The voice on the other end of the line said, far too cheerily for that hour.

"I requested a wake up call?" she asked muzzily, finally blinking her eyes open.

"Yes, ma'am. Would you like to order your breakfast now or wait until later?" the caller asked politely.

Rinoa blinked several times, sleepy brain finally waking up and forming somewhat coherent thought. She'd requested the wake up call so that she'd have time to shower, eat, pack, and get ready to catch her flight back to Deling City. A memory struck her then and she frowned, quickly turning to look at the other side of the bed, confirming what she had suspected.

Squall hadn't returned.

She swallowed hard at the lump that formed in her throat then, eyes stinging. He'd said he'd be back. That he wanted to see her off at the airport. That he wanted to see her again. _So why was she still alone?_

"Miss Heartilly? Would you like to order breakfast now or wait until later?" the voice on the other end of the line repeated.

"N…now." She said, somehow managing to keep her voice steady.

"What would you like?" the caller asked warmly.

"Coffee. With sugar and cream. Eggs, sausage and fruit." Rinoa answered dully. Her stomach reminded her that it was empty but she truly didn't have much desire for food. Still, she had to eat.

"What type of fruit? Melons and strawberries are in season right now," the caller said.

"Melon, strawberries and…. and grapes." Rinoa replied.

"And how do you like your eggs?" He asked.

"Scrambled." Rinoa answered.

"Thank you Miss Heartilly. We'll have that up in about thirty minutes. Is there anything else that I can help you with?" The man asked, preparing to end the call.

Rinoa hesitated, wanting to ask where Squall was before realizing that this person may not even know. And she had no idea who else to call to find out, or even if she should _try_. She didn't want to come off as a needy, clingy, stalker-ish person. Just because they'd had sex- _great_ sex, at least as far as Rinoa's limited experience could tell- didn't mean he owed her anything. Still, it would have been nice to at least be able to say good-bye to him.

Finally she answered, "No, thank you. I'm fine."

The caller politely rang off and Rinoa replaced the handset, rolling over to gaze forlornly at the empty side of the bed, heart aching. She _wasn't_ going to cry dammit. It was stupid. There were a million different reasons why he hadn't returned. Maybe he was still busy with whatever emergency had taken him away in the wee hours that morning. Maybe he was on his way back right now.

Without thinking, she reached over and pulled his pillow over to her, wrapping her arms around it and burying her face into it, inhaling deeply the scent-_his_ scent- that still clung to the fabric. She blinked away the moisture that seemed insistent upon accumulating in her eyes, sighing deeply and wishing with all her heart that he'd hurry back before she had to leave.

She kept hoping, even as she got up and showered, dressed, packed her clothes and ate her breakfast, though she scarcely tasted it. As the time drew near for her to leave that hope gradually faded to be replaced with disappointment.

She wouldn't believe that he'd simply forgotten or had been unwilling to see her off. She hadn't been able to see his expression or anything in the darkness that morning, but his voice had sounded sincere. She had no reason to believe otherwise, and if he was playing her false, then he was a damn good actor. But that kiss… that last kiss…

_That_ had been real. What she'd felt in that kiss…_that_ had been genuine.

A knock sounded at the door. It was the bellman; there to carry her bags back downstairs to the lobby. There was no more time. She had to leave.

Before she did however, she snatched up the notepad on the lamp table and scrawled down her phone number and address, tearing the page off the pad and tucking it under his phone. If he wanted to see her again, he would call her. And if he didn't? Well then she at least got a pleasant memory to go home with.

"Did you enjoy your stay?" Danton, the driver, asked her as they pulled away from the resort.

Rinoa sighed, watching the resort gradually diminish as they drove away.

Finally she answered, a trifle sadly, "Yes. I wish I didn't have to leave."

The driver smiled at her through the rearview mirror and replied, "Well, then you'll just have to come see us again sometime."

"Yeah, maybe." Rinoa sighed. She wished she could, but a single weekend at the spa was far more than she could afford. And that was _without_ the concierge service included. She hadn't wanted to know what _that_ had cost so had deliberately avoided looking it up.

She hadn't wanted to think about the fact that he'd essentially been _paid_ to have sex with her. It was almost insulting, until the logical part of her mind argued that fee or not, if he didn't want to do it, he had the right to refuse. Which he _had_ done at first. Squall had been quite clear on his right to decline his hire if he didn't want to go through with it.

So, paid or not, he had been a willing and even eager participant in their tryst.

And his hesitant admission that he'd like to see her again? That hinted that his interest in her had nothing at all to do with money. That it was the furthest thing from his mind in that moment. Rinoa wondered, because of his almost shy delivery of that sentiment, if he'd ever done that before. She suspected that he hadn't, that he'd simply taken care of his clients needs and moved on.

She also wondered if she was reading too much into what he'd said and done, and was falling prey to wishful, magical thinking.

"Miss Heartilly? We're here." The driver's voice broke into her thoughts, bringing her back to the here and now.

"Thank you Danton." Rinoa said absently as he politely opened the door and helped her out.

Retrieving her luggage from the boot of the car, Danton smiled down at her as he handed one of her smaller cases to her, saying, "I'm glad you enjoyed your stay with us. I hope you'll be able to pay us another visit."

"I hope so too." Rinoa said, gathering up her belongings and preparing to enter the airport.

"Have a safe flight." He said, sketching a wave at her before returning to the limousine.

"Thank you," Rinoa said, smiling slightly at the man before entering the airport and making her way to the gate she was departing from.

She waited alone for her flight to be boarded, and tried not to feel completely bereft. She wasn't expecting roses and forever from him, dammit. What right had she to expect that he'd even want to say good-bye? And even if he _did_ want to, it was much too late now. Her flight was due to be called any minute. It was unrealistic to even hope for some sort of last-minute, dramatic, romantic gesture from him.

It didn't stop a tiny, sneaky little wish from hiding in the back of her mind that he _would_.

It was with a deep sense of regret then that Rinoa finally boarded her flight and flew home to Deling City.

If he _truly_ wanted to see her again, he had only to call her. She'd left him her number after all. The next move was his.

* * *

The first thing Squall gradually became aware of was pain. That wasn't new to him; he'd woken up in pain on more than one occasion in his relatively short life. His body felt bruised and battered and his head…. his head felt twice, no _three_ times its normal size and throbbed with each beat of his heart.

_Head injury, _he thought, and almost cried out when the pain threatened to smother him in a black-red haze. Okay. No thinking. Thinking _bad_.

As bad as the pain was when he attempted to form a coherent thought, Squall really wasn't anticipating the results when he opened his eyes. He tried anyway, cautiously cracking them open and immediately shutting them again with a groan. The light was too bright and hazy, and there were two fuzzy humanoid shapes where he knew only one actually existed. Nope. He wasn't opening his eyes again, not unless he wanted to throw up next.

"So, you're awake. How do you feel?" A familiar voice asked him.

He didn't want to answer, the effort to find the words and string them together into an understandable sentence had his head pounding fit to burst.

Finally he mumbled dully, eyes still closed, "Like pounded shit."

"Not much different from how you look," the voice snorted.

"Fuck you, Marti." Squall retorted. Pounded shit was actually inaccurate, he thought, as his head continued to throb, the pain making him queasy. It actually felt more like he'd inexplicably chugged down a liter of one hundred proof rotgut whisky coupled with being trampled by an entire herd of wild mesmerize.

"Well, that's good to hear," the voice said on a sigh, relief obvious in her voice.

"What're you talkin' bout?" Squall asked her, frowning at the slight slurring in his speech. Shit. He must have hit his head _really_ hard.

"You were out for six hours. We were starting to worry that you wouldn't wake up at all and flew you out to Esthar Memorial's Trauma Center." The woman explained.

Six hours? He been unconscious for _six hours_? For some reason that was significant but he couldn't think around the pain to recall why.

The sound of a door opening had him turning his head quickly in that direction automatically, sending a spike of pain through the center of his cranium and pulling a pungent curse from his lips.

"So you're finally awake. You had us a little worried."

Squall cracked his eyes open again and squinted at the blurred, white-clad forms that he guessed was probably the doctor. His spinning head coupled with the double vision forced him to close his eyes again before he threw up.

"Do you remember your name?"

Squall had to think about that for a moment, a fact that disturbed him a little. Finally he answered, "Squall. Squall Leonhart."

"Good. Do you know what day it is?" The doctor asked him.

Squall sighed. Too many questions. They were making his head hurt more.

"Monday?" he hazarded.

"Good enough. How are you feeling?" the doctor asked.

Marti answered for him, smirking, "like pounded shit, according to him."

"I see. Well, can you be a little more specific Mr. Leonhart? Judging by your reaction when you opened your eyes just now, I'm guessing you're experiencing doubled vision. What else are you feeling?" the doctor asked.

Squall had to concentrate in order to form the words to respond coherently. It was hard to do through the pounding headache.

"Head hurts. I feel…. spinning. Dizzy. I feel dizzy. Sick. Pounded shit isn't right. Feel more like I drank a liter of rotgut and got my ass kicked." Squall replied weakly.

"Is that a typical weekend for you?" The doctor asked, amused.

"No. I hate hangovers." Squall answered.

"He's a former mercenary," Marti added dryly. "He won't get into fights he's not getting paid for."

"I see." The doctor said, approaching Squall's bed. "I need you to open your eyes, Mr. Leonhart."

Reluctantly, Squall did as directed, unable to suppress a groan as the doctor shone a small penlight into each eye. The light sent shards of pain through his skull and intensified his nausea. Fortunately that was the only thing that the doctor wanted to do at that point and Squall gratefully closed his eyes again.

"Well, you've got a pretty good concussion. Fortunately for you, no skull fractures and the scan didn't turn up any sub-cranial bleeding. Just a bit of bruising on the brain and some slight swelling, which would account for why you were unconscious for so long." The doctor said, adding, "I'd like you to stay here for observation for the next few days, then we can re-evaluate your status. Right now, all I want you to do is rest as much as you can. I can give you something for the pain but there will be nurses checking on you periodically to make sure you don't lapse into a coma. Do you have someone you want us to call for you?"

"Sister." Squall answered. Something cool seemed to seep outward from his left arm, and he guessed that he'd been given an IV and the doctor had just administered the promised pain medication through it. As his pounding headache dulled, he silently blessed the man.

"I'll call her." Marti said.

"Thank you." Squall mumbled. His battered body was suddenly craving sleep and it was dragging him into darkness again.

Marti watched him relax back into unconsciousness, only this time it was the unconsciousness of sleep. It still worried her though. He'd been out for so long that they'd had time to fly him here and get him scanned. She was more than a little relieved to learn that his injuries weren't quite as bad as she and everyone else had feared. Still, they were bad enough that he hadn't protested when she'd said she'd call Ellone. If he'd been feeling at all normal, he'd have refused. He wouldn't have wanted to worry her.

"He'll be okay, right?" She asked the doctor. She actually rather liked Squall, despite his attitude and peculiar temperament. It didn't hurt that despite his selectivity with regard to his clients, he was still a serious draw. It was those icy, distant, turquoise-blue eyes of his. They seized you and drew you in, compelling you to try to unravel the mystery that hid behind them.

And despite his remote, aloof manner, his clients still left fully satisfied. Apparently, he took whatever job he was hired to do, seriously.

"So far we haven't seen anything to be concerned with, we just need him here for observation and rest for a few days. He's had his bell rung pretty well, otherwise he strikes me as the sort that would prefer to be anywhere else but here." The doctor answered.

"On his own behalf perhaps. He'd spent a lot of time here with his sister while she was ill." Marti commented. Another mystery about the man; he appeared to care little for anyone else, didn't seem to form any close attachments with anyone, yet he was endearingly devoted to the woman he called his sister. Near as she could figure it that was all she was to him; certainly there was no evidence of anything but familial affection between the two.

"I see. Do you have her contact information?" the doctor asked.

Marti nodded. "I'll call her."

"Good. We'll keep an eye on him in the meantime. Are you a friend of his?" the doctor asked, curiously.

"Sort of. He's an employee, but I'd like to think of him as a friend as well." Marti answered.

"Well, the thing he needs most now is rest, so let's leave him to it, shall we?" the doctor said, not-so-subtly suggesting that Marti leave along with him.

Marti nodded in agreement, knowing the man was right, and followed him out the door.

* * *

When the plane started its descent into Deling City International Airport, Rinoa suddenly wanted to cry. That urge, seemingly coming out of nowhere, confused her until she realized that it was because she'd officially arrived home, and Squall was officially half a world away. Even though he'd said that he wanted to see her again, she didn't see how that was possible. One does not simply board a plane to fly to the other side of the world on a whim.

Despite what he'd said, Rinoa didn't think she'd ever see him again.

It was time to return to her normal life and try to forget about him, if she could. It would be difficult; despite the brief time they'd spent together, he had made an impression on her. She wondered if she had done the same for him.

"Rin! Rinoa! Over here!" Selphie waved at her as she exited the jet way. Rinoa made her way over and the two girls fell into a warm embrace.

"Oh, I'm sooo glad you're back!" Selphie said, falling into step beside Rinoa as she made her way to the baggage claim area. Biting her lip, she added, "Um, I hope you aren't mad we sent you to that place. We didn't really catch on what it was until it was too late. You didn't... Have any trouble there with that guy we hired, did you? 'Cause I mean, you _have_ to know we wouldn't have done that to you on purpose…"

"No, I didn't have any trouble with him. And I know you didn't do it on purpose." Rinoa assured her while they were waiting for her luggage to come out.

Selphie sighed heavily in relief, "Oh, good. I thought for sure you'd call me as soon as you learned what it was all about there and when you didn't I figured you were so mad you weren't speaking to me anymore. Oh, Rinoa, I'm SO sorry I did that to you…"

"It's okay Selphie. I didn't call because I forgot to charge my phone and I couldn't find the damn charger. I think I left it home." Rinoa said.

"So…. um… did you have fun?" Selphie asked, eyes bright.

A small, secret smile curled Rinoa's lips and she answered, "Yes, I did."

Selphie's eyes narrowed at Rinoa's smile, then sprang open wide and she gasped, "You didn't!"

"I did." Rinoa confirmed, smile turning soft and wistful.

"Oh my gosh! _Really_? You really did it? With…with _him_?" Selphie exclaimed, putting her hand over her mouth for a moment before gasping, "Oh, you've got to tell me! Was he as good as he looked? He _had_ to be good, right? He was a professional! My gosh, he was so _hot_! I'm so jealous right now that your first time happened to be with a guy _that_ sexy! You know how lucky you are?"

Rinoa sighed, grateful for the interruption of her bags finally coming down the carousel to her. She grabbed one and Selphie grabbed the other and they made their way through the bustling throngs in the airport to the exit.

"Rinoa?" Selphie asked, concerned when the silence stretched without an answer from her. "You _did_ enjoy it, right?"

"Yes. It was wonderful." _HE was wonderful…_ Rinoa answered, adding with a sigh, "It was so beautiful there, I didn't want to leave."

Selphie's smile turned sympathetic as she realized that Rinoa's slightly melancholy mood stemmed from having to come back to the real world after living a fantasy for two and a half days.

"I know what you mean. It's always kind of a letdown coming back to reality after a vacation like _that_." Selphie replied, adding, "I'm going to have to save up my pennies. Now I _really_ want to try that place out for myself. Maybe I'll see if your guy, what was his name? Squall? Maybe I'll see if he's available."

That sent a stab of pain right through Rinoa's heart. How could she have forgotten that the man's affections were for sale to the highest bidder? What a naïve fool she was. She wanted to kick herself for imagining that anything at all could come of their brief connection.

"Maybe," Rinoa said vaguely, following Selphie out of the terminal toward the parking lot. "But he only does it part time." She shivered slightly, having forgotten that it was still mid-March and the weather had turned cold in her absence.

Taking a deep breath and firmly shoving away the disturbing thought of Squall having sex with Selphie…or anyone else, for that matter…she abruptly changed the subject by asking, "How's Angelo? Was she good for you?"

"Of course she was. She'll be happy to see you though." Selphie said, unlocking the door to her car when they reached it. Hitting the button under the dashboard to pop open the trunk, she helped Rinoa stow her baggage and they both got into her car.

Starting up the engine and backing out of the parking space, Selphie commented, "You look lovely by the way. I love those highlights."

"Thanks. Where's Quistis? I thought you'd both be here to meet me." Rinoa asked.

"She had to work. Something came up and she couldn't get away." Selphie answered her as they drove through the city to Rinoa's apartment. "But hey, meet up with us at Docksiders after work on Friday and we'll catch up then. Then you can give us both the down and dirty details of your weekend."

"Selphie…" Rinoa protested.

"Aww…come on! Please? I'm dying to know and I'm sure Quistis would be also, no matter how hard she'd try to pretend otherwise. I mean, jeez, I think she was actually _drooling_ over a picture of your concierge- slash- self-defense instructor." Selphie replied, just a hair away from actually begging.

Rinoa sighed, "All right. I'll meet you guys on Friday night."

"Great!" Selphie grinned at her as they pulled up to Rinoa's apartment building.

Popping the trunk again and grabbing a bag, she helped Rinoa bring her luggage up to her apartment, saying, "I just walked her about an hour or so ago, so Angelo should be fine, but you may want to take her out to the dog park and play with her for a bit. I'm sure she misses you."

"Okay. I miss her too. It's going to feel so weird going in to work tomorrow," Rinoa sighed.

"I don't blame you." Selphie said as Rinoa unlocked and opened the door to be greeted by Angelo's thunderous barks and happy whines. The shepherd mix bounded up to her, stubby tail wagging her entire rear end, and Rinoa dropped to one knee and buried her hands in the dog's ruff, closing her eyes and smiling as Angelo licked her face happily.

"Yup, she definitely missed you." Selphie laughed.

"Well, I missed her too," Rinoa said, punctuating the statement by hugging the dog close and giving it a quick peck on the end of its nose.

Selphie set down the bag she'd been holding and said, "I'd better be going. If I don't see you before Friday, I'll give you a call."

"All right Selphie, talk to you later." Rinoa said, standing up to give her friend a brief hug before she left.

After closing the door behind her, Rinoa picked up her bags and took them into her bedroom to unpack and put them away. She then tossed the clothes she needed to wash into the hamper. Upon completing that task, she left her bedroom with a sigh and grabbed Angelo's lead, her favorite toy, and some waste bags. The dog pricked up its ears, noticing Rinoa's actions, and began dancing excitedly, tail stump wagging furiously.

"Come on Angelo," Rinoa said, attaching the lead to the dog's collar when it came up to her. She detoured briefly to the kitchen to snatch a handful of the dog's favorite treats on her way out the door.

* * *

Gentle hands, stroking his hair, tracing his face, started dredging him up from where he'd been cocooned, comfortably drifting in a half-remembered dream. Or perhaps it was a memory. If so, it was a good one involving velvety white skin and soft lips.

As he drifted closer to the light, more bits and snatches of his dream or memory came to him. Warm brown eyes. Silky black hair. The scent of roses….. A name…

"Rinoa," He whispered on a thread of sound, not realizing he'd said it aloud.

The hand stroking his brow froze, and a voice asked, "Rinoa? Who's that?"

Squall opened his eyes, recognizing the voice and frowned. His head still hurt abominably, but fortunately the double vision appeared to have subsided as only one Ellone sat at his bedside.

"Who's what?" he asked her.

"You whispered a name just now, as you were waking up." Ellone answered, tilting her head and studying him with a curious expression on her face. She moved the hand that had been caressing his brow down to where Squall's hand rested on the bed, wrapping her fingers around it and squeezing gently.

"Oh," Squall said and closed his eyes for a moment, knitting his brows as he tried to remember. Pain speared through his head and he groaned.

Ellone hastened to lean forward and caress his brow again, urging him, "Don't stress yourself. Just relax. It's okay if you don't remember; it'll come to you. The doctor told me your memory might be a little hazy for a little while. Don't worry about it."

Squall looked away and sighed, "Sorry."

"About what?" Ellone asked, curiously.

"For worrying you. Again."

"It's okay Squall. It's what you do, I get that. Yes, I was scared when Marti called me, but she didn't sound worried and neither did the doctor when I talked to him. And to be fair, this doesn't happen to you very often." Ellone said, smiling reassuringly at him. "And it's only monsters. Animals. Yes, they're trying to kill you but only out of instinct, not actual malice. Not like when you were a SeeD. I guess I'm glad that you left it when you found me."

Squall met her eyes and smiled slightly. "I'm glad you're here. If I'd been in my right mind I'd have refused to have you called. But…"

Ellone took his hand again and felt better when he squeezed hers back. "You needed me. It's okay to admit that. It's okay to need someone once in awhile. That doesn't make you weak, it makes you human."

"You're right of course. But then, you usually are." Squall said.

"You put too much faith in me Squall. I'm not perfect." Ellone replied.

"Neither am I."

Ellone sighed, studying him. "You've come so far in two years. I barely recognized you then. So hard. So cold. So unlike the baby brother I remembered. But he's still there in your eyes. The life you've led hasn't managed to kill him yet and I'm glad of it."

"Me too." Squall glanced down at their joined hands, frowning at the IV that led into a vein on the back of his hand. He'd have to have it removed. He wasn't an invalid.

Looking into her face, Squall asked her, "How are you feeling? You look tired."

"I'm fine. Getting stronger every day. How about you?" she asked.

He smiled slightly, "the same. Mostly anyway. It's still Monday, isn't it?"

Ellone nodded, then laughed softly. "Aren't we a pair?"

Squall's soft laughter joined hers, "I suppose so. Just you and me sis. Like it's always been."

Ellone's expression turned sad, thinking of the years that had passed between then and now, "Not really, no. But…almost."

"Yeah."

They fell silent for a moment, the Ellone asked him, "That name you whispered earlier… it was a girl's name, right?"

Squall frowned, thinking, and then answered, "Yes, it was."

"Was she the girl you were with this weekend? Your client?" Ellone asked him, curiosity deepening. He'd never mentioned any of his clients by name before. Something to do with confidentiality or something, she supposed.

"Yes," Squall answered, then frowned. That wasn't right. "No…I don't… I don't remember. I don't think so."

"She must have made an impression on you." Ellone said, smiling secretly. She found it interesting that he couldn't rightly remember of the girl had been his client or not. He'd told her that she was when she'd called him, if in fact it was the same person. She didn't see how it could be anyone else. Squall never booked more than one woman on any given weekend.

Squall didn't answer, frustrated by his inability to clearly recall that weekend. He knew it was because of his concussion that he could only remember it in bits and snatches. He had only brief impressions, flashes of her smiling at him, of him kissing her, of the feel of her in his arms, her body beneath his. She might have been his client but for some reason he didn't think so.

He sighed, feeling as though he'd somehow insulted the girl, Rinoa, by not clearly recalling the time they'd spent together.

"I'd better go. It's getting close to the end of visiting hours. They're going to send a nurse up here at any moment to kick me out." Ellone said, drawing Squall's attention back to her.

"All right. I guess I'm going to be stuck here for the next few days, so I won't be able to go to your appointment with you after all. Not unless I'm actually ambulatory by then and they let me travel as far as the oncology center." Squall said wryly.

"Don't strain yourself. The thing that's going to put you right and unscramble your brains faster than anything else is rest. I'll come up here afterward and give you a full report, okay?" Ellone assured him.

He nodded in acceptance. "Alright."

Ellone leaned over then and wrapped her arms around him carefully in a hug, resting a portion of her weight upon his chest and pressing her cheek against his. He wrapped his arms around her in turn and held her, closing his eyes and inhaling her scent. It had changed, and for the better, he thought, recalling clearly the wrongness he'd smelled on her as she'd battled the leukemia that threatened her life. He couldn't clearly describe how he could tell the difference; he just knew that her scent now was clear of any illness.

And her hair had started to grow back, though it was still so short that she looked like she'd opted for a crew cut as her new hairstyle. But she'd gained weight and the color had come back into her cheeks, and to Squall, there was only one woman that he thought was more beautiful…

The woman in his half-remembered dreams. The woman whose name he'd whispered, whom he couldn't clearly recall, yet didn't want to forget. Rinoa.

She pressed her lips firmly against his cheek and whispered, "I love you Squall. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I love you too sis." He replied, kissing her as well. She pulled away then and smiled at him, then squeezed his hand one more time before she left.

A nurse's assistant came soon after with his dinner, and he sighed at the thought of eating it. The medication that he was given fortunately worked quickly, such that the nausea caused by his headache subsided; at least to the point that he felt confident enough to give it a try. And while the food was bland and virtually tasteless, it also didn't offend him or his touchy stomach, and thus stayed down.

When the aide came back later to take his mostly empty plate, Squall asked him, "Do you know how long this IV has to be in me? I'm not an invalid, I can swallow pills and I've actually eaten my dinner and so far it hasn't made a reappearance."

"Well, just for tonight, leave it in. The kind of medication they have you on for pain works best intravenously. I'll relay what you've said to the doctor though. He'll be in tomorrow to check on you anyway." The aide answered, and then added, "You _are_ looking a little more alert though. No more double vision?" When Squall shook his head—_carefully_- in the negative, the aide responded, "Well, I'll let the doctor know. In the meantime, rest as much as you can."

Squall sighed when the aide left, wondering what to do next. His head still hurt, the throbbing dulled but not eliminated by the drugs coursing through is bloodstream. He wasn't tired, but he wasn't actually all that alert either. The pain meds apparently had a soporific side effect, which left him drowsy but not enough to sleep.

The resultant dopey haze left him feeling frustrated and annoyed. He couldn't sleep, was in fact feeling stiff from lying motionless for so long on battered and strained muscles. He couldn't watch TV, finding it hard to concentrate on anything. If he could get out of bed at all he'd just leave. He had more than enough healing elixirs in his apartment to deal with his injuries, but instead he was stuck in a hospital.

Maybe he could convince Elle to go over to his place and bring him one of them.

Eventually, he _did_ sleep, drifting in and out of dreams, nightmares and memories. And as sleep healed him, his memories became clearer.

Ellone came to see him daily, something that he deeply appreciated. They both silently acknowledged that after he'd spent so long at her bedside during her illness, she now had the opportunity to do the same for him and was more than happy to do so.

Squall meanwhile had managed to convince the doctor to remove the IV and other tubes that had been poked into various, disconcerting orifices. Of course, his first attempt to become ambulatory after that did not come off as well as he'd thought it would, and he found that he needed to lean heavily upon the aide that was required to be there just in case.

His head spun and ached abominably, and he felt more than a little wobbly, a fact that made a short trip to the bathroom a protracted ordeal. Certainly, it helped him gain a new appreciation for lying comfortably in bed while everything seemed to spin around him.

Once he reached his bed he lay back with a sigh, taking the medications that the aide gave him without protest. It always amazed him that the medical personnel working with him seemed to assume that he'd be a difficult patient, when in fact the opposite was true. He didn't land in the hospital often, but when he did he was smart enough not to protest or fight.

It wouldn't improve his situation and the nurses, aides, orderlies and doctors were there to help and to heal, not to harm. Therefore it made no sense to be obstinate. So he put up with the various indignities that came along with a hospital stay with as much good grace as he could muster, knowing that it was all for his benefit ultimately.

Though he could have done without the sponge baths. Particularly the ones administered by…

"Carl." Squall sighed. In every naughty fantasy ever envisioned, the nurses were cute, and sponge baths were given by scantily clad, sexy candy stripers. NOT a six foot eight black behemoth of a man that looked like he'd do better as a bouncer in a dive bar.

"It's that time agin my man," Carl grinned at him, teeth flashing whitely in his mahogany face. "Can't have you funkin' up the place while your sistah's vistin' you."

"You're _way_ too happy to be doing this." Squall grumbled.

The man chuckled, "I know, I know. But until you can stand upright for more than five minutes without falling over, I'm what you got."

"Fine. Let's get it over with." Squall said.

It wasn't that Carl was rough, far from it. In fact he was surprisingly gentle in his ministrations. It was simply the fact that getting such _extremely_ personal attention from a man nearly twice his size was more than a little disconcerting. Squall wondered again why they found it necessary to assign such a large man to be his attendant.

"Have I …done something to scare people here?" Squall asked the man curiously.

Carl paused, wringing water out of the cloth he was using, then shook his head, "Naw man. You've been cool."

"Then what's the deal with everyone here? I mean, you're packing _way_ too much muscle to just be a nurse's aide." Squall commented.

"Turn over, I gotta get your back," Carl instructed, chuckling at Squall's grumble as he did so. Then he answered Squall, "It's because you're SeeD. They got one look at that badge on your arm, the scars all over your body, and decided it'd be best to have some muscle about, just in case."

"In case what?" Squall frowned.

"Well, let's just say you ain't the first soldier that's come through here with his bell rung. And some guys, they wake up not knowing where they are? They get downright dangerous. Takes a bit of muscle to hold 'em down 'till they's brains catches up with the rest of 'em." Carl answered him.

"Oh. Well, I'm not a SeeD anymore." Squall said.

Carl shook his head, "Once a SeeD, always a SeeD. It's instinct. Can't get away from it completely. Turn back."

Squall shifted to lie on his back again and frowned thoughtfully at that. To a certain extent, it was true. Certainly he'd trained to be a SeeD from childhood, to the point that it _was_ in fact instinct.

"Now, you want to handle your boys or shall I? I'll treat 'em just like they was my own." Carl said, grinning at him.

"That's what I'm afraid of. Give me that." Squall said, reaching for the cloth.

Carl chuckled and handed it over. Squall took care of what he needed to, and handed the cloth back. He really could not wait until he was able to actually take a shower on his own. He understood, truthfully, why they couldn't allow him to do it at the moment, even with the grab rails in the shower. It would only take one slip to put him in as bad or even worse shape than when he'd first arrived.

"You wanna shave or go scruff?" Carl asked him.

Squall scratched at his roughened cheeks and answered, " I guess I'd better shave."

"You wanna try it yourself?" Carl asked.

"Yeah," Squall said, sat up, swore angrily as his head spun and lay back down. "No."

Carl grimaced sympathetically and said, "I got you man. Don't worry. Just hold still."

Squall sighed and did as directed; relaxing as much as he was able while Carl shaved him. He did his best not to give in to frustration, knowing that his current situation was temporary. And he _did_ feel better once all was said and done; despite the awkwardness inherent in the duties Carl was performing.

"There ya go. All done." Carl said, wiping Squall's face off. "And it looks good, if I do say so myself."

"Thanks, that's one less thing Elle needs to worry about I guess." Squall replied.

The aide packed up his supplies and prepared to leave, saying, "Now, you rest up and don't fret yourself about all this man, and before you know it, you won't need me to help you out anymore. Alright?"

"All right." Squall sighed. Carl grinned at him good-humouredly and left.

Ellone came in shortly thereafter and smiled at him, "Well, you look spiffy. Feeling better?"

"A little bit. Still get dizzy when I try to do anything besides impersonate a houseplant though." Squall said wryly.

"How's that working out for you?" Ellone asked, eyes sparkling.

"The geraniums are getting suspicious and I'm pretty sure that fern over there's onto me." Squall answered seriously. Ellone laughed and bent down to kiss him on the forehead.

Taking his hand, she sat down next to him and said, smiling, "Well you _must_ be feeling a little better. A display of humor from you is an incredibly rare occurrence under any circumstances."

"How'd your appointment go?" Squall asked her, changing the subject.

"Fine." Ellone smiled. Squall waited, then frowned at her.

"That's it? _Fine?_ That's all you're going to tell me? Come on Ellone," Squall said in exasperation. " What's the rest of it?"

Ellone sighed, "I know what you want Squall and quite honestly, I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to. I can't remember all that stuff. That's why I've asked Dr. Barosian to come up and tell you herself. She'll be here in a few minutes."

"All right," Squall sighed.

The doctor arrived a short time later; smiling at seeing him in the same position his sister had been in for far too long previously.

"Well, this is a switch," The doctor commented. "What put _you_ here?"

"Got knocked ass over teakettle by a behemoth." Ellone answered her.

The doctor quirked her eyebrow up and said, "I thought you knew how to dodge."

"I do," Squall said, nettled. "I just didn't dodge fast enough this time."

"Well, from what I hear it could have been worse." The doctor replied. Squall shrugged in reply.

"Ellone has asked me to give you an update on her condition. And as I know you, Mr. Leonhart, being of a military mind, would like a full, factual report, then here it is: She's fine." The doctor said, giving Ellone a conspiratorial wink.

Squall folded his arms across his chest and put on his best intimidation glare, the effect only slightly lessened by the fact that he was lying down.

The doctor exchanged an amused glance with Ellone, commenting, "My, that's a stern look. Shall I elaborate?"

"Please." Squall answered dryly.

"All right then, hopefully your brains aren't too scrambled to understand this." The doctor said.

Squall declined a response, instead simply gesturing with his hand for the doctor to continue.

"White and red cell counts are in normal ranges. Nothing unusual there. Likewise with blood chemistry in general. No abnormal cells have been detected and overall, Ellone's health is steadily improving. We'll keep checking periodically, but if she's cancer free after five years, you can call her cured. As for right now, we'll say she's in remission and hope that it stays that way for a good long time." The doctor smiled at him and added, "In other words, no change from six months ago. And hopefully, six, twelve, eighteen months down the road as well."

Squall let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Yes, the news from six months ago had been good but he already knew how quickly things could turn with something like this. He'd seen it far too many times with other patients in the oncology center. He tried not to let it affect him, but he wasn't made of stone. Particularly with a patient whose case bore too close a resemblance to Ellone's. It was impossible _not_ to identify with that person and make their fight _his_ fight…. and if they lost…. It was impossible not to think that Ellone might share their fate.

Squall had done his best while Ellone was ill to be her solid bulwark of strength, to be someone she could lean on. All the while, hiding his fears and anxieties on her behalf, and dealing with them the best way he could on his own. Now, finally, he could lay those fears, those anxieties to rest.

Ellone didn't _need_ him anymore. At least, not in the way that she'd needed him while she'd been ill. It left him feeling as though a weight had been lifted from his back; he felt lighter, free…almost buoyant. It was an incredible relief to him.

Reaching for Ellone's hand, he squeezed it gently, saying, "That's very good to hear doctor. Thank you."

* * *

"Hey! Rinoa! Over here!" Selphie was waving to her from across the bar. Rinoa made her way through the establishment, skirting tables and servers to arrive at the table that Quistis and Selphie had appropriated for themselves.

"About time you got here." Quistis smiled at her. "We were just about to order dinner without you."

"So what's good tonight?" Rinoa asked them, gazing around the nautically themed bar and grill.

"Chowder's fresh," Selphie answered. "And they've got a great green salad to go along with it."

"Sounds good. Just what I need to shake off the chill." Rinoa said, taking her coat off and sitting down. The cold snap had continued and today at least, had included rain.

A server showed up soon after Rinoa sat down and they all ordered their soup and salads. Quistis ordered white wine with her dinner, Selphie had a beer, and Rinoa, still feeling a bit chilled after the tropical warmth of Esthar, opted for coffee.

While they waited on their orders, Quistis smiled over at her, "I'm glad we could get together tonight, it's been a crazy week, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, it felt weird going back to work Tuesday. Made the week pass all the quicker I guess." Rinoa said, sipping at her coffee.

"Sorry I didn't meet your plane when you came in Monday. So how was your trip?" Quistis asked her.

Rinoa smiled wistfully, and answered, "It was lovely there. So peaceful, and the gardens were gorgeous."

"So was your concierge. I am sorry by the way that we threw you into the lion's den, so to speak. We really didn't know what kind of resort it was when we sent you there," Quistis said apologetically.

"I know. Selphie said the same thing. It's okay." Rinoa replied.

"It worked out for Rin anyway, didn't it?" Selphie grinned at her. Rinoa nodded, cheeks turning pink.

"Wait, you mean…. you went ahead with the…._ entertainment_ part of the deal?" Quistis asked, aghast and truth be told, a little envious. Rinoa nodded again.

"She sure did! And I for one am dying to know the details! So spill it Rin! How was he?" Selphie asked her.

Rinoa hesitated, cheeks flaming even brighter, and Quistis frowned at Selphie, "Selphie! That's awfully personal!" Turning to Rinoa, she added, "Honestly! Look sweetie, as long as you enjoyed yourself and didn't feel pressured in any way, that's all that matters."

Rinoa smiled hesitantly and said, "I did. It was…._ he_ was… wonderful."

Quistis smiled gently at her, "Well that's good. From his profile, I had no idea what to expect, and when it turned out we hired him for more than just the self-defense instruction, I thought we'd really ruined it for you. So he wasn't…aggressive at all? He looks so intimidating…"

"No. He was actually very nice. He's tough, he really knew his self-defense stuff and was a really good instructor, but he's kind of got a sweet side too… and he was so gentle…." Rinoa said, sighing at the memories. It had been nearly a week since she'd returned home and she hadn't heard from Squall yet.

She kept telling herself she shouldn't expect that he'd call her; that she should just forget him and go on with her life. And she tried. But late at night as she got ready for bed, she'd remember…. his large, warm hands on her body, the way his lips felt against hers, the way his kisses tasted… And she'd ache for him, all over again.

"Well, I'm glad you had a good time, and that your first time was so special. That's wonderful that you have such a nice memory of him." Quistis said sincerely, beautiful blue eyes smiling serenely at her.

Selphie nodded and was about to add something when her phone caught her attention momentarily. She looked at it briefly, frowned slightly, then put it away. Rinoa's phone too distracted her for a moment, but the number displayed was unfamiliar to her so she disregarded it, figuring that whomever it was would leave her a voicemail and she could call them back later.

The remainder of the evening was spent catching up on the week, discussing how work and life was going for each of them. Rinoa for one was very glad of the time spent with her friends, and by the end of the night was very happy to have been able to go out with them.

It was late by the time she got home, and she was tired and getting ready to go to bed when she remembered the call she'd gotten earlier. It had in fact gone to voicemail, so she decided to check her messages to see who it was that had called her.

Her heart nearly stopped when the recorded message began however, with, _ "…Um…hello Rinoa, this is Squall…. I'm sorry I wasn't able to see you off, and that it took so long for me to call you…"_

* * *

__Author's Note: Sorry its taken me so long to post this, a bout with the flu last week left me down for the count. So, if this chapter's a little bit...ODD, just blame it on "flu brain" and my fever dreams...which is pretty much how Carl came into being. Don't ask. Really.

Meanwhile, I'm working hard at getting back on track, and hopefully will actually be able to finish this story by the end of the month. Plus of course my illustration project; currently working on a drawing for "the successor" and if you want to see the WIP, just check out my twitter page RoninAi. Hopefully it'll turn out okay...right now it's just a rough sketch and quite honestly, kind of sucks.

anyway, on to the next chapter so we can all see if Squall and Rinoa finally manage to get together and what comes of it...I can't wait...Oh. I guess that means I'd better write it, doesn't it?


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter IX

Squall was finally going home. The doctor had given him a final examination and allowed his release, with the proviso that he remained on light duty for the next week at least. Ellone had done him the favor of bringing him some clean clothing, along with a small vial of healing elixir. Squall fully intended to take it so that if any lingering effects remained from his injury, they would be dealt with.

"Are you ready to go?"

Squall turned with a frown to reply to the statuesque redhead that had just entered, "Marti? I though you were just going to send one of the drivers down."

"As it happens, I had to come down to the city today anyway, so thought I'd save time and swing by to get you. I hope you don't mind." She answered.

"It's fine. I needed to talk to you anyway." Squall said as they walked out of his room. A nurse had been nice enough to provide him with a bag containing the clothing he'd been wearing when they'd brought him in, along with a small slip of paper with her name and phone number written on it, tucked into a fold of his jeans. He'd snorted quietly to himself upon discovering it.

Most of his belongings and personal effects had been accounted for, including his wallet, watch, and necklace and cell phone. Obviously however, his gunblade hadn't been brought in, and he'd yet to find out what had become of it. Hopefully Eric had picked it up and either brought it back to his apartment or had it locked in the armory at the resort until Squall could reclaim it.

"What did you need to talk to me about?" Marti asked him as they exited the hospital and headed for the garage where she'd parked.

"I'd like a leave of absence for about a week, starting tomorrow." Squall answered.

Marti paused as they reached her car to unlock it and get in, with Squall following suit on the passenger side.

Turning to study him for a moment, she raised an eyebrow and commented, "Well, the doctor did say you should be light duty for the next week anyway. Can't get much lighter duty than none at all." She started the engine and reversed out of the parking space.

"I also want you to take me off the concierge list." Squall stated.

Marti stopped the car and stared at him. "Why? Is this about last weekend? I heard you were pissed about getting a client when you were supposed to be off…" She put the car into gear and concentrated on getting them both out of the parking garage, brows knitted in concern.

She glanced over at him as they drove out onto the street and headed toward the resort, wondering at his sudden silence.

Finally Squall answered, "Yes. Partly, anyway."

"Well, I am sorry about that, but she'd requested you specifically and your schedule hadn't been updated when she finally booked her appointment. I understand it came off well in the end, she seemed happy enough when she left. There were no complaints that I'd heard of at any rate." Marti said.

"She didn't request me at all. It was a gift from her friends. But that's not why I want to be taken off the roster." Squall told her.

"Then why? I know it was a slow start for you at first, but you've done well with this and I can't keep ahead of the bookings now. You get far more inquiries than you can possibly handle, let me tell you." Marti said.

"I don't need to do it anymore. And I don't _want_ to do it anymore." Squall said, gazing out the window as they traveled.

Marti glanced over at him again, frowning slightly. As usual, his expression was unreadable, remote. Well, he'd told her at the outset that he didn't want to make a career out of the concierge gig, and truly, it wasn't a long-term type of job anyway. Oh, there were a few men that had been doing it for five years and more, but there were fewer still that made that a part of their lifestyle.

Finally Marti sighed, "Well, when you put it that way, then fine, I'll take you off."

"Thank you." Squall said.

"You'll disappoint many fans. Including the nurses back at the hospital. I had more than a few ask about your going rate." Marti chuckled.

Squall sighed, "I'd wondered why I kept getting asked about getting my blood work done to renew my license."

"When does it expire?" Marti asked him curiously.

"In two weeks if I don't turn in a clean report." Squall answered.

"I see. Well, if you change your mind, let me know." Marti said.

"I won't." Squall said.

He lapsed into silence, and Marti concentrated on her driving with a sigh. Small talk was never his forte anyway, she reflected ruefully. She went to turn on the radio and caught his eye, raising her eyebrows in inquiry. He shrugged indifferently, and she turned it on to her favorite station. Two years as her employee and she still had no idea what kind of music he liked. Squall Leonhart definitely liked to play his cards close to his vest.

Squall meanwhile used the time to sort through his memories. There were still some fuzzy gaps, but he remembered nearly everything now. He remembered that Rinoa Heartilly _had_ in fact been his client. At first. He remembered their first meeting. He remembered the second night, when they'd gone to dinner after Rinoa's spa day, and…Later. When he'd learned she was a virgin and refused to do anything further with her that night.

He remembered refusing his hire, refunding his fee. The source of his confusion regarding her status with him, since she ceased to be his client in that sense the moment he did that.

And then…. their last night together; showing her the sunset, and discovering the meteor shower together. Discovering more than just that, later on in his bed. He'd been careful to distinguish what he did as "just sex" and not romanticize it in their first abortive attempt…. but that night…. it wasn't "just sex" then.

He'd _made love _with her.

What that could mean to him now, he didn't know. He'd been drawn to her from the beginning, but had tried not to get too caught up in what he was feeling because of the nature of his job. But now that didn't apply in this situation. She wasn't his client; and he wasn't her concierge.

He felt as if he'd left things undone. Unresolved. And he didn't know if that meant that he needed to end things properly between them and move on, or take the time he'd spent with her as the potential beginning of something he'd never had before. He only knew that he wanted to see her again. It was the only way he could find out what that potential could lead to.

But he had to find her first, and in order to do that he had to go to Deling City.

"We're here," Marti's voice broke into his thoughts.

Squall glanced over at her and nodded, "Thank you." He unbuckled his seat belt and opened the door, then paused for a moment. Returning his attention to Marti, he asked her, "Did you happen to notice if Eric or somebody picked up my gunblade?"

"No, I'm sorry." She answered.

Squall sighed, "I'll ask him then."

As he got out of the car, Marti asked, "What do you plan on doing for the next week?"

"I plan on flying out to Deling City tomorrow." Squall said.

"Tomorrow? But you've only just gotten back!" Marti said with a frown.

"There's…. something I need to do there." Squall told her vaguely, then sketched a wave at her and left.

She stared after him, then shook her head and got out of her car. She should have known better than to expect an actual answer to that question. Marti was convinced that if she looked up the word "enigmatic" in the dictionary, it would include a photo of Squall Leonhart.

* * *

When Squall entered his apartment, he was struck by how lifeless and dead it felt. He knew part of it was because it had been shuttered for an entire week so the air felt stale as a result. But even opening the glass door of his balcony to let in some fresh air did nothing to dispel the profound emptiness of the place.

He'd never before noticed that. He simply went about his business, did his job every day and every evening played with the financial markets in Galbadia and Esthar. Anything really to keep him occupied, keep his mind off of Ellone's illness and try to recover financially now that she was on the way to physical recovery. Aside from his clients, he spent his time completely alone, not even socializing with his co-workers.

He finally began to understand Ellone's concern for him. Up until now, his life had been completely empty, like his apartment. Like his heart. It was easier that way, much easier than trying to maintain a relationship, something that he'd never been terribly good at. The dangerous and rootless nature of his job as a SeeD certainly hadn't helped with that. Even those SeeDs that he'd grown up with fought alongside and graduated with were mere acquaintances at best. Avoiding social interaction had become a habit with him.

He'd spent so much time alone that he'd grown used to the loneliness that came with it. And while the occasional client did help to dispel that a bit, it was _work. _He had to behave a certain way and had specific duties that he had to perform. He _did_ get some benefit from his clients in the sharing of physical pleasure with them, but for the most part while he was working, his feelings were unnecessary and completely irrelevant. It wasn't about _him_.

So having someone come into his life that he couldn't push into a specific category and thus avoid getting too close to was unsettling at the very least. Rinoa had reached in past his guards and grabbed him by the heart; the only thing he could think to do about it was to go and find her to see where it led.

He walked out onto the balcony and leaned against the stone barrier, remembering that last night. Remembering how…. magical…. the entire evening had been, from start to finish. Then he snorted and shook his head, thinking, _Gods Leonhart, you're turning into a sap all of a sudden. Maudlin fool. If you're going to go after her then do it, and quit mooning about it. But before you do anything, you'd BETTER get your damned gunblade back!_

Pushing away from the balustrade, he went back into his apartment and into his bedroom, depositing his bag of clothing onto his bed. Riffling through it, he found his cell phone and turned it on, relieved to find that it hadn't been damaged and still had some charge to it. Scrolling through the numbers, he selected the one he was looking for.

The phone rang, and then was answered and a voice on the other end said, "Hello Squall. Finally back?"

"Yeah. Did you pick up my gunblade Eric?" Squall asked.

"Yeah I did. I stuck it in the armory. It's locked up all safe and sound. You going to come by to get it?" Eric asked him.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a few minutes." Squall said, adding, "I'm taking a leave of absence for a week. The doctor wants me on light duty anyway and I need to go to Deling City. I'm leaving tomorrow. You'll be in charge while I'm gone."

"Uh…okay. This is kind of sudden, isn't it?" Eric asked, surprised.

"Perhaps, but I'm certain that you can deal with pretty much anything you run up against." Squall said.

"Thanks. I appreciate your confidence in me. The barriers are all repaired now, and reinforced too." Eric reported.

"Good. Then this should be fairly easy for you to handle." Squall said.

"Well, I hope so anyway. I guess I'll see you in a few minutes?" Eric asked him.

"Yes. Talk to you in a little bit." Squall said, disconnecting the call and heading for the door.

He retrieved his gunblade and went over some procedures with Eric, making sure he was ready to take over in his absence. Squall didn't feel any need to worry however, he'd chosen his people carefully and was fully aware of their abilities. Indeed, if necessary, Eric could easily take over Squall's position as head of security there permanently.

Upon returning to his apartment with LionHeart, he got right to work cleaning off the crusted blood and residue from the pulse ammo he'd used. Fortunately, he'd only fired it twice so there wasn't enough to pit the barrel, but he hated leaving his weapon in such a state, even when he'd had no control over the situation. Once it was properly cleaned, polished and honed, he returned it to its case and got his duffel out to start packing.

Tossing it onto his bed, he started arranging for airline tickets while packing. By the time he'd finished that task, he had a round trip ticket confirmed to leave the next morning for Deling City, had arranged for a cab to pick him up and had only to figure out exactly _where_ Rinoa actually was. Well, he'd been a SeeD, and finding people was part of the job. Hopefully it wouldn't take him too long…that was when he noticed the slip of paper stuck beneath his telephone.

He snorted to himself, realizing that if he'd actually used _that_ phone instead of his cell phone, he'd have found it sooner. Wondering what it was, and hoping, he took it out from under the phone and read the writing on it, unable to stop his heart from thumping heavily as he realized that Rinoa had left her phone number and address.

He stared at it, suddenly anxious. He'd never actually done something like this before, not really. Marti booked his clients, and before…. well…. he'd never had to _pursue_ someone. He wasn't terribly vain but he also knew that his looks had played a large part in that.

There was also the fact that nearly a week had passed and…what if she thought he'd forgotten, had just given her an empty line that he'd wanted to see her again? What if _she'd_ forgotten or worse, had written him off? The sad thing was that within the context of his client/concierge relationships, he was perfectly confident because there were set rules for behavior and certain expectations laid out beforehand. There was a map, a framework to follow.

This was completely different. He was heading into unknown territory and as a result, deep down, he was actually frightened. _Because this meant something to him. _

He didn't know yet _what_ it might mean, but…. it was important. It could end up meaning the world to him.

He took a deep breath and gave himself a mental kick to get past his momentary paralysis. He _had_ to do this, there was no other way to move forward and figure out where this all may lead. So he dialed the number, and waited, shoving his apprehension aside, and tried to think of what he would say to her.

"_Hi Rinoa, this is Squall, remember me? I'm the guy that took your virginity?" _ Brilliant. That'd go over like a lead balloon.

"_Hi, remember last weekend? Sorry I didn't call but I got my ass kicked by a behemoth…" _No. Stupid.

Then her voicemail picked up and he swallowed nervously and said, "…Um…hello Rinoa, this is Squall…. I'm sorry I wasn't able to see you off, and that it took so long for me to call you…I…something came up, and I've only just been able to call you. Thanks, by the way, for leaving your number. I still want to see you again. I'm flying in tomorrow and um… do…would you like to meet up for coffee or something? If I remember correctly there's a shop next to the Galbadia Hotel. Give me a call and let me know? Here's my number. I'll be staying at the Galbadia Hotel. I hope to hear from you soon…." He disconnected the call and let out a breath, hoping his message didn't sound as lame as he thought it did.

The next morning he as he boarded his flight, he was assailed by a mixed bag of emotions running the gamut from anticipation to nervousness, eagerness and even fear. But underneath all of this was calmness and a willingness to accept whatever happened from this point forward. And there was also…. hope.

* * *

Saturday morning dawned gray, cold and rainy, but that had no effect whatsoever on Rinoa's spirits. Squall had called her, and he was flying in today. Just to see her. She wanted to sing, dance and do any number of crazy, exuberant and silly things. She felt as giddy as if she'd had an entire bottle of wine. It would be hours before he was actually _in_ Galbadia, Rinoa knew that, and she couldn't wait.

The only problem that she could see was the fact that she didn't know what flight he'd taken so had no idea when he'd actually arrive. She didn't want to try calling him back until he was on the ground so they could figure out when to meet.

To work off her nervous energy and stay occupied while she waited, she attacked her apartment with a vengeance, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming and dusting, tidying up the clutter and when she'd finished with that, she took Angelo out for a walk. Anything to keep her from losing her mind to boredom and anxiety.

While she was doing all of that however, she couldn't help mentally replaying the previous weekend; from the first moment she saw him half-dressed and glaring at her to the last when he'd kissed her almost desperately before he'd had to leave.

She wondered again why it had taken him so long to call her; perhaps he'd been busy, like she'd speculated. His position as head of security was an important job so whatever it was that had taken him from her side had likely kept him tied up and unable to get in contact with her right away. It didn't matter now, he _had_ called her and within a few hours, she would see him again.

She refused to think about the fact that he'd made no mention of how long he'd be staying as yet, instead resolving to simply enjoy the moment, however long she had with him. She still didn't expect roses and forever. He lived on the other side of the world, and there was no way he'd just drop his entire life in Esthar to move to Galbadia just for her. They'd only just met.

Still, the fact that he was flying halfway across the world just to see her made her wonder what his motivation for doing that was. It couldn't have been because she'd been great in bed; the fact of being a virgin when she'd had sex with him had pretty much guaranteed that she _wouldn't_ be.

Then she mentally kicked herself for letting her mind wander down that path. She'd been trying not to think too much about how things had been between them the first time, and now the memories had returned with a vengeance, igniting a craving to repeat the experience. In short, she wanted him again.

Sighing, she checked the time and decided to try calling him. Maybe he'd finally landed.

* * *

He'd forgotten how cold March could get in Galbadia, particularly Deling City. Yeah, it was a coastal city so it rarely snowed, but the rains of winter and early spring were cold enough, even so. Oddly, Balamb was farther north and thus colder even than Deling City. But he'd lived for two years in the tropics and his blood had thinned. Fortunately, he still had his peacoat and had remembered to bring it, though he was wishing he'd worn a scarf and sweater as well.

Ducking his head and turning up his collar against the rain, Squall shivered slightly and headed for one of the stores along the main drag through the city to purchase an umbrella. Once there, he found a nice white scarf to go along with it. Brushing his hand over the soft, fluffy fabric, he checked and confirmed that it was a lamb's wool/ angora blend and thus wouldn't itch.

"Would that be all for you sir?" the clerk asked him when he brought the items to the counter.

"Yes." Squall answered.

"Sixty-eight gil then." The clerk said, then asked, "are you new in town?"

"Why do you ask?" Squall asked in turn.

The clerk shrugged with a smile, "Well, the big tip off is your tan. _Nobody's_ got a tan here by March. And your accent is definitely not local. Where've you come from?"

"Esthar." Squall answered.

The clerk chuckled, "that explains your tan. And the scarf and umbrella. We've also got a nice selection of sweaters farther toward the back, if you need one."

"Perhaps later. This will do for now." Squall said, paying for his purchases.

"Later then," the clerk said with a smile, adding, "enjoy your visit here."

Squall nodded and left, putting the scarf on immediately and tucking it into his coat, then opening the umbrella. As he walked toward the coffee shop, he felt much more comfortable. Even such a little thing as a scarf did wonders for warding off the chill, and the umbrella obviously kept the drizzling rain off him. Of course, by the time he made it to the coffee shop, he'd _need_ a hot cup to warm up.

He checked his watch as he approached the shop. He was a bit early, but had needed the extra time to get the scarf and the umbrella. When he'd landed at the Deling City International airport, it had been raining much harder and he'd gotten soaked before he'd managed to hail a cab to get to the hotel. He'd had to shower and change into dry clothes, and the first thing he'd unpacked had been his coat.

Rinoa had called just as he'd gotten out of the shower, and he'd been keenly aware of the fact that he was naked save for the towel around his hips, as he'd been talking to her. Not that he'd made any mention of it to her. While he wanted things to end up that way between them eventually, he didn't want to put any pressure on her either.

Just because they'd had sex once before, didn't mean that she'd want it to happen again, despite how much she'd appeared to have enjoyed it. Besides, he didn't want his visit to be all about _that_ anyway. He wasn't sure yet _what_ he wanted it to be about, but he intended to spend the week figuring it out. Or at least making a start at it.

It had been nice though, hearing her voice, and his spirits had risen at the prospect of seeing her again.

The bell tinkled as he opened the door to the shop, and he closed and shook the rain off his umbrella as he walked in. He gazed around as he walked toward the counter, taking note of the patrons there and hoping to find a table free. It had fairly standard coffee shop décor; with wooden floors in warm gold, small round tables and chairs the color of espresso scattered about, and a display case with pastries of various types next to the register. He didn't see Rinoa there yet, but there were more than a few people in line, waiting like him to order something hot to warm up with.

"May I help you?" the barrista asked when his turn came up. The bell tinkled again as someone else either entered or left, and Squall studied the board for a moment before answering.

"Regular coffee, black." He said.

"Any particular blend you want?" the girl asked him with a smile.

Squall glanced up at the board again and saw the blend he normally purchased and answered, "Esthar, north."

"Coming right up."

Rinoa entered the shop and shook off her umbrella. Checking her watch, she saw that she was right on time and she gazed around, looking for Squall. There were several patrons seated around the shop, and a sailor at the counter ordering coffee. Well, he _looked_ like a sailor anyway; he was wearing a peacoat that naval personnel typically wore. Then she narrowed her eyes, as she got closer, and got a better look at him.

Tallish, lean, broad shouldered, he had his back to her, and so Rinoa didn't recognize him at first. She blamed it on the fact that it was a gray, rainy day. Without the sun to gild his hair and bring out its hidden fire, it was a medium chestnut brown that was fairly unremarkable. Then he concluded his business at the counter and turned, sensing someone behind him.

Rinoa couldn't help a quiet gasp then as she realized who it was, and then she smiled at him. He seemed to freeze, eyes locked with hers, then slowly started to smile as well.

"Squall," she said breathlessly, heart in her throat. Gods, he was more beautiful than she remembered. His eyes were still a cool turquoise blue, but they seemed to have taken on a grayish cast, a reflection of the gray day and the dark coat that he wore. And the slow, almost shy smile he gave her made her knees want to melt.

"Hi," he managed, then his mind went completely blank and he couldn't think of anything else to say. Or rather, there were _so many_ things that he wanted to say that they crowded each other out and left him mute.

Things like, _how have you been? You look more beautiful than I remember. _ Or, _I've missed you. _ Things that he _felt_ but wasn't yet comfortable articulating.

Rinoa's smile broadened, catching the slight flash of panic in his eyes as he fell into silence, and she asked him, "How was your flight?"

"Long," He answered, his smile turning wry. Rinoa laughed and he chuckled slightly as well.

Gesturing toward the board with the cup he was holding, he offered, "Coffee?"

"Certainly. That's generally what one gets in a place like this," Rinoa said cheekily.

"Well, you _could_ order tea," he said.

"Yeah. Well, I'm going with the coffee." Rinoa said, and he stepped aside to allow her to approach the counter and the patiently waiting (and somewhat amused) clerk.

Once she'd gotten her coffee they found a table, with Squall taking a sip of his after he sat down, and sighing at the warmth that spread outward from his stomach. Rinoa took off her raincoat and sat down as well, sipping her coffee and smiling at him again.

"I can't believe you're here. I didn't think I'd ever see you again; I mean, nobody flies halfway across the world just for…" Rinoa's voice trailed off and she frowned. Then she asked, "Why?"

Squall frowned slightly and studied her intently, wondering if he'd misunderstood her response to him. She didn't appear unhappy to see him, which was encouraging.

Finally he answered her honestly, "Because I wanted to see you again. I'd told you that I did. I thought maybe…that you felt the same way. Was I wrong?"

Rinoa's heart did a funny little flip in her chest and she shook her head vigorously, "No. You weren't wrong. I'm just a little surprised that you followed through. And….And I'm happy you're here."

"I'm happy I'm here too." Squall said softly.

Rinoa took a sip of her coffee, finding it hard to tear her eyes away from him. The dark, almost black peacoat was obviously tailored to fit him, because it looked damn good on him. Likewise with the fluffy white scarf that he'd added; it looked warm and cozy, and very cute as well. Almost like a lion's mane. Despite the shop being heated, Squall had yet to remove his coat, and as she watched, she saw him shiver slightly.

"Cold?" She asked curiously.

Squall nodded, "Yeah. I've gotten used to living in the tropics. My blood's too thin for this."

"Well, you just had the misfortune of arriving right in the middle of a cold snap. It's not usually this cold this late in March." Rinoa said, adding, "The weather reports are saying it should warm up in the next few days." Resting her chin on her fist, Rinoa asked him, "How long are you staying?"

"A week." Squall answered her_. I wish it were longer_…

"And you said you're staying at the Galbadia Hotel, right?" She asked him.

"Right." He confirmed.

"Wrong." Rinoa said, smiling at his confused look.

"I'm…. sorry?" He asked.

"You're staying with me." Rinoa declared, adding, "It's only fair since I invaded your home. I want to return the favor."

"But… It's not the same…" Squall began, but Rinoa waved it away.

"I don't care. Say yes." Rinoa said firmly.

"Rinoa…"

"Go on. Say it! You know you want to."

"Are you _sure_? I mean, that's not actually what I'm here for…" Squall said.

"Yes, I'm sure. And what _are_ you here for then, if not for me?" Rinoa asked him pointedly.

Squall stared at her, struck by her logic, charmed by her brilliant smile. And he was falling again, falling into her bottomless brown eyes, captivated by the contrast of her white skin and night-dark hair. By the way the powder blue sweater she was wearing hugged her curves.

"Yes."

"Yes, what?" Rinoa asked him, grinning.

He laughed softly, "Yes, I'll stay with you. And yes, I _am_ here for you. And I'm also here for me. Because this is where I want to be right now."

Rinoa swallowed, heart flipping over again, and managed to say breathlessly, "you don't have to do anything you don't want to…"

He laughed harder at this, and when he calmed down, suggested, "Why don't we take things one step at a time?"

"Sounds good to me…Um, are we on step one?" she asked him.

"Yes, I believe we are." He answered.

"Then what's step two?" she asked.

"Dinner?"

"Okay. After we get you set up at my place."

"All right." Squall drained the last bit of his coffee and stood up, asking, "Finished?"

"Yes," Rinoa stood as well and went to put her coat on, pausing in surprise when Squall came around to help her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, drinking in the subtle spice of his cologne. She appreciated the fact that he was so sparing in its use, only offering hints of it when she got up close to him, rather than overpowering her from across the room with it.

He dropped his hands from her shoulders after she'd gotten her coat on, but before he could step away she quickly turned and slipped her arms around his waist, hugging him close and leaning her head against his chest. She simply held him then, listening to his heart thumping beneath her ear. She heard him swallow, then felt his arms come around her as well, felt him rest his cheek against her hair.

They stood that way for a long moment, and then Rinoa finally whispered, "I've missed you."

Squall's heart squeezed at that, and he whispered back, "I've missed you too." He held her for a few more moments, counting his heartbeats, listening to her breathe, before gently disengaging from her.

Then he reached down and took her hand, threading his fingers through hers, saying, "Let's go."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter X

Squall followed Rinoa into her apartment, gazing around with interest. The first thing he noticed was that while it was clean, it was not immaculate. Not like the hotel room he'd just checked out of or his own place at the resort. It was…lived in.

Little things caught his eye; framed photographs atop a mantelpiece over a gas fireplace, mostly portraits of what Squall assumed were friends or family members. Green plants of various types in various places, added life to the main room, while mismatched pillows were thrown haphazardly upon the overstuffed and very comfortable looking couch.

None of the furnishings were of any particular style or color or maker; taken individually, some might be considered unique or interesting, while others might not be. Yet they all seemed to work together to give the room a sense of warmth and welcome, with a healthy dose of unpretentious, unabashed fun added in the form a large, flat-screened LCD television, surround stereo system and a gaming console.

The second thing he noticed was Rinoa's dog. Indeed, his attention was directed to her by her thunderous barking virtually the moment he walked through the door. The only reason that she was the _second_ thing he'd noticed was because he'd actually taken a quick glance around the room before focusing upon her.

Rinoa of course had told him about Angelo, so he'd known what to expect upon first meeting her. She was a larger dog than he'd envisioned however, before remembering that some Galbadian Shepherds could approach a hundred pounds in weight and nearly a meter in height at the shoulder. The collie part of her make up was what reduced her size somewhat and provided the thick coat and partially flopped over ears. The dog's breeder had docked its tail before she'd gotten it, and Squall recalled how sad Rinoa had been at her inability to prevent that from happening.

"Angelo! Shush!" Rinoa admonished the dog, kneeling down to scratch behind its ears in an effort to calm it, adding softly, "He's a guest here. Be nice."

Squall waited while Rinoa calmed her dog, knowing well enough about meeting strange dogs despite never having owned one himself. He watched as the dog's aggressively pricked ears and raised ruff calmed and the watchfulness faded from its gaze.

Once the dog appeared to have relaxed, Rinoa stood and approached Squall, hand firmly gripping the collar, and said formally, "Angelo, this is Squall. Squall, this is Angelo."

Squall extended his hand toward the dog, palm downward, allowing it to get a good sniff at him, saying, "Pleased to meet you Angelo." Rinoa gave him a conspiratorial smile, which he returned as the dog thoroughly investigated him.

When that investigation was completed, Squall ventured to stroke his hand over the dog's head, marveling at the soft fluff before gently rubbing at the silky fur behind its ears. Angelo slitting her eyes partially shut and dropping her mouth open in a tongue-lolling canine smile rewarded his efforts. He ventured further and dug his fingers into her thick mane, working them down her neck. The dog reached up and licked his face in appreciation, pulling a surprised laugh from him.

Rinoa echoed his laugher, saying, "It's official. She likes you."

"I like her too. She's lovely." Squall grinned, taking the dog's face into both hands and scratching behind its ears.

"Come on. Let's get you settled." Rinoa invited. Squall left the dog with a final pat and followed Rinoa further into her apartment and into her bedroom. He almost laughed when Rinoa pointedly took his duffel bag from him and tossed it onto her bed, giving him a challenging look as she did.

"You're sure about this?" He asked her, sobering.

"Yes. I have extra space in my dresser. You can use the three drawers on the end." Rinoa answered him.

Squall didn't ask her how she came to have the extra space. He could guess at why. Fortunately, there were no personal effects or clothing belonging to her late fiancée left behind, so that little bit of awkwardness was thus avoided. Squall rather doubted it was by choice. If he had to speculate upon it, she had likely either returned those items to his family or they had simply retrieved them. Or, yet another possibility, he hadn't actually started to move in yet; had delayed that step until after the wedding.

"All right," He said, immediately starting to unpack, much to Rinoa's fascination.

"You don't waste any time, do you?" Rinoa asked, amused.

Squall shrugged, "I try not to."

Glancing around, Rinoa noticed the long black case that Squall had brought along with his duffel bag. It was emblazoned with the same lion-head symbol that he wore as his pendant. She wondered what it contained; whatever it was, it was obviously important to him, if one went by the way he guarded it.

"What's in here?" she asked, curiously, reaching for the case.

"Don't touch that." He said flatly. Rinoa froze, swallowing uncertainly.

Squall left off his unpacking and turned back to where Rinoa stood next to his gunblade case. Lifting it off the floor, he laid it upon her bed and frowned down at it, still resting his hand on it just beneath Griever's symbol. He had brought it with him without thinking, an action as natural to him as breathing.

"It's…. my gunblade. I don't even know why I brought it. Habit I suppose." _It's instinct. Can't get away from it… _Carl had said that. Was it true? Squall wondered. He'd tried to move beyond his former life as a SeeD, and for the most part, had succeeded. But parts of it, he had to acknowledge, would never go away completely. It was part of who he was.

Rinoa was left both curious about that and a little scared, to be honest. She vaguely remembered him sliding a long, glowing, bladelike weapon into a sheath he wore on his back the morning he'd left. She wondered if that was what he was referring to.

"Can I …I'd like to see it. Do you mind?" Rinoa asked him.

Squall hesitated, then said, "Okay but…don't touch it. It's very sharp."

"Okay. I won't." Rinoa nodded solemnly.

Squall studied her for a moment, and then dropped his gaze to where his hand rested upon the case. He stroked the smooth surface unconsciously, then unlocked, unlatched and opened the case, revealing what lay within.

It lay upon black velvet, as sleekly beautiful and deadly as a sleeping panther. Or lion, Rinoa amended as she saw the etching on the oddly translucent blue blade. It was neither sword nor gun, but an elegant melding of both. The glow from the blade was not as easy to see in the light of day, gloomy though it was, but Rinoa could just make it out. It reflected off of the gleaming silver of the cylinder where she could see the large bullets that the weapon required. More of those bullets were lined up in the case in a section set aside for them, each the size of Squall's thumb.

Rinoa placed her hand over her lips, trying to ignore the tingle in her fingertips that virtually begged her to smooth them over the blade to see if it was as smooth and cold as it looked, or its luminescence also included warmth. Instead, she watched as Squall did that instead, tracing his fingertips along the blade to the oddly configured handle, caressing it the way he would a lover. The way he'd caressed _her_.

Rinoa swallowed and held silence, not quite understanding what she was seeing, but somehow aware that it was an integral part of him. She thought he might pick it up; he'd curled his fingers around the handle as though he would, but then he moved his hand away from it instead.

Finally, Rinoa found her voice, whispering, "It's beautiful." She'd never seen such a weapon up close, though she'd heard a little about SeeDs and the weapons that they'd used second hand, mainly due to her father and how she'd been raised. The Galbadian Army used gunblades, but they were nothing like _this_; it was larger, the blade thicker and differently shaped, and presumably heavier. And the metal parts of the gun portion…were silver.

Not _real_ silver, Rinoa discovered as she looked more closely. Only the decorative portions of the weapon were actual sterling. The rest was silver-chromed steel. The actual silver decoration on the side of it, incorporating the trigger guard and the hammer, took the fanciful form of a winged lion. The grip was fairly standard for a gunblade, though it was made of smooth black wood, and not plastic, as she'd originally thought. In an odd bit of whimsy, the end of the grip had a silver charm attached, an exact replica of the pendant that Squall wore, identifying him as the gunblade's owner.

"It's custom made. There isn't another like it anywhere." Squall said.

"You designed it?" Rinoa asked him, awestruck.

Squall nodded. "It took me a long time to get the materials together that I needed to have it made, but…it's by far the best gunblade I've ever used."

"It looks almost alive, the way it glows," Rinoa commented.

Squall studied her for a moment, then gently lowered the lid to the case and shut it, considering her observation.

"I suppose it is, in a way." Squall said. Then he smiled slightly at her and added, "It has a name."

Rinoa tilted her head and gazed up at him, intrigued, asking. "Do all SeeDs name their weapons?"

"Most of them do." Squall answered.

"Why?" Rinoa asked, curiously. She'd never heard of such a thing. A weapon was simply a tool; it had no soul or heart, no personality, and thus was not given any name save the one that identified what it was. Then Rinoa recalled Squall's weapon and how it had seemed alive. Its graceful, lethal beauty spoke more of the man who designed and wielded it than Rinoa would have otherwise thought, had she not seen it and gotten to know him.

Squall hesitated, unsure if he should answer her or not. Not for any worry of giving away trade secrets, it was common knowledge that SeeDs use a particular weapon throughout their careers and are very young when they choose it. No child over the age of ten is even accepted as a potential SeeD candidate.

He just wasn't sure that she would _understand_ any of it. Then he decided that he was giving her too little credit…and _far_ too little trust.

"All SeeDs start out as young children. The median age of a SeeD candidate is eight. Some are younger, but very few are older. The first two years is mainly academics, with mostly unarmed martial arts used for physical training. By the third or fourth year, we're considered ready to choose our specialties; our primary weapons. From that point on, our focus as SeeD cadets is to master that weapon. It becomes a part of us, an extension of our bodies; something that we rely upon to defend us and preserve our lives and the lives of those whom we are entrusted to protect. It becomes a reliable friend, and trusted companion; oftentimes, the _only_ companion that we can fully trust. Based upon that, it's not so unusual that we would name our companions." Squall finally answered her.

_How lonely a life he must have had_, Rinoa thought, suddenly feeling sad for the child he'd once been.

"No." She finally agreed quietly. "It's not so unusual at all." Then she nodded toward the case and asked, "What did you name yours?"

Squall smiled briefly at her, relieved somewhat at her apparent acceptance of this part of him, and told her, "LionHeart."

Rinoa smiled back at him and repeated solemnly, "LionHeart. Weapon of legend."

Squall laughed softly at this and shook his head, "No it isn't."

"It should be." Rinoa said.

"Well, it's not. It's just a gunblade. And I'm just an ex-SeeD. No legends here." Squall told her with a shrug.

Rinoa sighed, then met his eyes, fascinated by their coolly mutable azure shade, replying, "I suppose it's just as well. Legends are mythical ideals, not flesh and blood people." She reached out, the desire to touch him again making her bold enough to place her hand over his where it rested upon his gunblade case, then lightly stroke back from his hand and up his forearm.

" I prefer reality to legend anyway."

Squall swallowed at this, suddenly wanting to kiss her thoroughly. _Later, _he promised himself, if things headed toward that direction. Instead he lifted his hand off of his gunblade case and used it to lightly brush the backs of his fingers against Rinoa's soft, white cheek.

"So do I," he agreed softly. Then he dropped his hand and looked away, adding, "I'd better finish up here so we can get all of this out of the way."

"It's not like you've got that much left." Rinoa said.

"No, so it shouldn't take long. Then, we can go eat dinner. I must admit that I _am_ rather hungry. It was a long flight." Squall responding, resuming his unpacking.

"It was indeed." Rinoa agreed, and he glanced back at her with a small smile.

* * *

"So, I was thinking the first thing that we should do tonight is to get you a nice sweater or two." Rinoa was saying as they strolled along the strip.

It had stopped raining, and the streetlights and neon signs from the shops that lined the boulevard reflected off of the wet street in watery glimmers. The cold and damp were just enough for puffs of vapor to show as Rinoa spoke.

"I'd planned on doing that tomorrow, but I suppose we could do that tonight instead," Squall responded. He appreciated the fact that she'd snuggled close to him in an effort to warm him, as he was still feeling the cold despite his heavy coat.

"Well, you need something, even if it warms up a bit tomorrow. It's just too bad my Bears sweatshirt didn't fit you." Rinoa commented on a sigh.

Squall snorted, "Sweatshirts aren't meant to be worn skin-tight. I could barely get it off."

Rinoa laughed, recalling the humorous sight of him struggling out of the overly tight garment. It _had_ looked good on him, though really anything that molded to his chest and accentuated his musculature would have done just as well. And the blue color had really brought out his beautiful eyes.

"Well, I'm glad we didn't have to resort to cutting it off of you. That's my favorite sweatshirt." Rinoa said.

"So, you're a hockey fan? I would never have guessed." Squall commented.

"Yup. Die-hard Galbadian Bears fan, through and through. In fact, they're in the playoffs, and I've got box seats for tomorrow's game. Wanna go?" Rinoa invited. She had an extra ticket and had been considering asking Selphie to accompany her. She was pretty sure however that her friend would not mind in the least that Rinoa had opted to invite a cute guy instead. Correction: Gorgeous, hot, brain-meltingly _sexy_ guy. Nope, Selphie wouldn't mind, though she _might_ be jealous.

Squall raised his eyebrows, intrigued, and grinned, "I'd love to. It's been forever since I've seen a Bears game."

"Great!" Rinoa smiled, adding, "Now let's go get you some sweaters." She reached for the door to the shop that Squall had just visited earlier, pausing when Squall's hand reached it first and he opened it for her with a quirk of his lips.

"My, how gentlemanly of you." Rinoa commented.

Squall snorted, "I have my moments."

"And I've enjoyed them so far," Rinoa replied, prompting him to laugh softly.

She preceded him into the shop and headed toward the back, with Squall following closely behind.

The clerk greeted them as they passed; smiling at Squall, "Back again for the sweaters?"

Squall nodded and Rinoa smiled, "Yes, we are."

"Back there. If you have any questions, or need any help, let me know," the clerk offered.

"Thank you," Rinoa said, and they continued toward the section indicated.

"So, have anything specific in mind?" Rinoa asked him once they reached their goal. They both began examining the offerings there, with Rinoa paying particular attention to color, while Squall appeared more interested in what the sweater was made from.

"Anything that doesn't itch." Squall said, studying a black sweater critically.

"Are you allergic to wool then? I know some people that are…" Rinoa observed.

Squall shook his head, "No, nothing like that. I just have sensitive skin. I don't break into hives or anything like that if I wear wool, the scratchiness just irritates me, that's all."

"So, let's see then…" Rinoa mused, studying the items more closely. "Here's a nice one. Angora and silk, and its a really pretty blue. What do you think?" She held the item up and Squall took it and felt the fabric and the weight, then checked the size.

"Nice. But it's too small. And the knit's too loose." Squall said, handing it back to her, adding, "Lamb's wool is good for warmth and it's not as irritating as regular wool. Blended with either silk or angora or some other soft fiber, it works pretty well."

"I see," Rinoa said, returning to her search, only to look up when Squall said in an amused tone, "Rinoa? I'm a large. I like having room to breathe."

She laughed at this and moved closer to him to help search in the right size. She noticed he tended to look at either neutral or dark colors; black, navy blue, gray or more rarely, light tan or beige, or white. If she didn't know better, she'd have thought he was colorblind. Rinoa decided right then, that she would change that.

Bright colors wouldn't suit him, she decided, trying and failing to picture him in red or yellow. Nope. That wouldn't work. Neither his personality nor his coloring would be able to carry that off. But blues and greens? Yes. _Definitely_.

"This one." Rinoa said, her attention caught by the bright blue color. Not _too_ bright, and with a green undertone, she just _knew_ it would look fantastic on him. She quickly checked the size and fabric; the right size, and it was lamb's wool and silk in a nice, tight knit in a fairly plain, unfussy style…perfect. She held it up against him and smiled broadly as the color brought his eyes into bold relief.

Squall took it from her and studied it. The color was nice, though not one that he normally wore. Everything else about it was fine, so he nodded in acceptance.

"Okay." He said, continuing to study the offered items, and finally deciding on another one in soft heather gray. He figured that the two sweaters would be sufficient for his needs and turned away, intending to complete his purchases and continue with the rest of the evening.

"Are you only getting those two?" Rinoa asked him.

"I don't need a different sweater for every day that I'm here," Squall began.

"Variety is the spice of life, or so I've heard. Live a little." Rinoa interjected. "This green one's nice." She added, holding up the garment she was referring to.

She stepped closer and held it against his chest, smoothing the fabric out and studying how the color lit his features and accentuated the greenish cast to his eyes. Squall gazed down at her and leaned close, eyes sparkling, lips just on the edge of a smile.

"I'm working on it. That's why I'm here." He murmured softly. Rinoa swallowed as he invaded her space until they were nearly touching and his warm, spicy scent teased her senses once again. He reached his hand up then and covered hers where it still rested against his chest, pressing it into his warmth.

Rinoa simply stared up at him, the power of speech driven from her by the slyly amused glitter in his eyes, the _almost_ smile that he wore, and by the fact that he was somehow close enough to kiss her, if he should bend down just a little more…

"This green sweater _is_ nice. But I think that's going to be the last one for now. We still have dinner to get to, remember?" Squall reminded her.

"Dinner?" Rinoa said blankly, before she remembered the _actual_ reason they were going out. "Right. Dinner."

Squall leaned even closer, until his lips were just a breath away from hers, the wicked glint in his eyes plainly evident. "Yes. Dinner. So let's get these paid for and be on our way."

Rinoa couldn't help staring at his lips, so close to hers. She could feel the warmth of his breath on her face, and remembered their flavor and how they felt on hers. Unconsciously, her tongue snuck out to moisten her lips.

That small action turned the tables on Squall's teasing, tempting him beyond what he could endure any longer. He _had_ to kiss her.

It took nothing at all to bridge the gap that separated his lips from hers. Mindful of their location however, he pressed his lips lightly against hers, just enough to tease and to taste. Just enough to leave them both aching for more.

Rinoa's hand, pressing against his chest, clutched at him for support as she swayed, eyes drifting shut. Drifting, losing herself in the kiss…. which was far too brief for her liking.

"Let's go." He whispered, pulling back and smiling down at her. Rinoa swallowed and nodded, following him to the counter and feeling her cheeks heat at the amused expression on the clerk's face.

"Will that be all then?" the young man asked them politely, while sighing inwardly at the evidence of his handsome customer's preference. It was too bad too; the guy's beautiful eyes were to die for.

"Yes." Squall answered, placing his purchases on the counter to be rung up.

"That will be three hundred and sixty gil." The clerk responded, glancing over at Rinoa upon hearing her gasp.

Squall however simply gave the man the requested amount and nodded when the clerk thanked him politely, taking the bag his purchases had been placed in when the clerk handed it to him.

He led the way to the door and opened it for Rinoa, following her back out onto the street.

"_Three hundred and sixty gil_?" She exclaimed as they started walking toward the restaurant they'd both decided upon. "That's over a hundred gil apiece! Sheesh!"

"Hundred and twenty, actually. And it's because they're knitted from rather expensive yarn. Lambswool, silk, cashmere…" Squall responded, not bothering to mention the designer label. He wasn't normally a label hunter but this particular designer was known for their quality.

"Well, they'd better be warm, as much as you've paid for them." Rinoa frowned. "Speaking of which, why don't you go ahead and put one on? You're freezing and there's only so much I can do to keep you warm out here on the street."

"Okay. So you want me to just stop here in the middle of the sidewalk and put on a sweater?" Squall asked her, amused. "I presume you have a plan for dealing with the tags?"

"Don't you SeeDs carry around some kind of multi-use tool? You know, the knife, corkscrew, nail clipper, can opener, pocket watch, bottle opener thingie?" Rinoa asked him curiously.

"I left it in my other pants." Squall said dryly.

Rinoa sighed, "I have nail clippers in my purse. Which sweater do you want to wear?"

Squall considered that for a moment, and then remembered how it had felt when Rinoa had smoothed the green sweater against his chest, just prior to him kissing her. It had felt soft, smooth, warm…. like her kiss. And it was a nice color as well.

"The green one." Squall answered her. She reached into the bag and pulled it out, deftly cutting the tags off of it with her nail clippers.

"Here you go," Rinoa said, intending to hand it to him, when he stopped her.

"Hang onto that for a minute." Squall said, unbuttoning his coat and removing it and his scarf. Handing it to Rinoa for her to hold, he then took the sweater from her and pulled it on over the black, long-sleeved shirt he was wearing. Once he got it settled, he took his scarf from Rinoa and put it on, then did the same with his coat.

"Better?" Rinoa asked as he buttoned up his coat again.

"Much," Squall answered, reaching for her hand. The sweater was exactly what he'd needed to deal with the chilly night.

She threaded her fingers through his and they continued toward the restaurant.

* * *

Squall was familiar with Deling City, having been there more than a few times as a SeeD on assignments and when things got boring in Balamb. He hadn't been away from it so long that things had changed much since. Still, since he was a guest there, he had suggested that Rinoa pick where they would eat that night. He was curious to see what she would select.

Rinoa had really had a difficult time with the decision too. There were a number of places that she liked, but had purposely avoided selecting one of her favorites, Docksiders, because her friends might be there. NOT that she was embarrassed to be seen with Squall; quite the opposite. She just didn't want anything to intrude upon her time with him. She wanted him all to herself tonight.

And then there was the question of fare…. what was he in the mood for? What did _she_ want? When she'd asked Squall, he said he was too hungry to care, which wasn't very helpful at all.

Rinoa had finally settled on one of her favorite steakhouses, suddenly having the urge for a nice steak. And maybe some shrimp.

"Here we are," Rinoa said, reaching for the entrance door and pulling it open before Squall could. She entered the restaurant ahead of him, chuckling at his exasperated huff as he followed her.

The hostess guided them to a table not long after they entered, and Rinoa couldn't help sighing at the image Squall presented as he removed his jacket and scarf and sat down. He looked stunning in green. The color was reflected in his eyes beautifully and made it hard not to stare at them. The warm lamplight in the restaurant glinted off of the necklace he wore, his earring and the stainless steel watch on his left wrist, throwing those silvery accents into bright relief. A forelock of his thick chestnut hair had flopped into his eyes, the coppery sparks amongst the sable strands once more visible in the golden light. Rinoa wanted to run her fingers through it and feel its smooth, warm silkiness once more, but that would have to wait. They had to eat dinner first.

She wasn't _nearly_ as hungry for her evening meal as she was for the man who sat across from her however. Suddenly, Rinoa's mouth felt as dry as Esthar's central desert. She reached for the glass of ice water that the waiter had left for her and took a sip.

Squall, apparently absorbed in studying the menu, was in actuality anything but. He didn't know exactly what was in Rinoa's mind just then, but her suddenly pink cheeks and the downright hungry look she'd given him before that slight flush of color gave him a hint. And all he could think about from that moment on was how badly he wanted her naked and in his arms again.

"So…um…what are you going to order?" Rinoa asked him.

Squall lowered the menu and stared at her blankly for a moment, before clearing his throat and answering, "Prime rib sounds good."

"I'm going with surf and turf." Rinoa declared decisively.

"Oh? Steak and lobster?" he asked.

Rinoa snorted and shook her head, "No. I love lobster but that's too much for me tonight. Just a ribeye and shrimp."

"There are better places for lobster than here anyway," Squall commented.

"True. There's a great seafood place right near the wharf," Rinoa replied.

"I was thinking of Balamb, actually." Squall said, adding. "Blue rock lobsters. Can't get them anywhere else, and they're incredible. They're native to the ice current out from the seawall all the way toward Trabia. Can only hunt them twice a year but they're huge, even so."

"I take it you're a fan?" Rinoa asked, charmed by Squall's sudden animation as he described his homeland's native crustacean.

"Most everyone is. They even named their hockey team after them." Squall answered her.

"So _that's_ why they're called the Blue Lobsters? I thought it was an odd name, I had no idea of the reason behind it." Rinoa commented. Then she tilted her head and asked, "How do you know so much about them? It almost sounds like you've worked as a fisherman before."

"I spent a couple of months on a lobster trawler while on assignment once. Hard, dirty, dangerous work it was; I was glad that my next job was firmly on dry land." Squall answered her.

"I'm guessing that decided you against pursuing that as a career option post-SeeD?" Rinoa asked him.

"Yeah." Squall answered, declining to mention that until he'd found Ellone, he had no intentions of ever quitting SeeD. He figured that he, like most SeeDs, would die young and violently. No sense in planning for a future that would likely never come to pass.

The only reason that he'd had such a large amount of funds in reserve for his retirement was because _unlike_ other SeeDs, he wasn't a spendthrift and his personal needs were few. Indeed, while he'd accumulated quite a few items in his years as a SeeD and in particular as Commander, he could still pack nearly everything he owned that was of any importance into one duffel bag.

That, and the fact that he'd discovered he had a knack for investing. It was like a game to him, a challenge that he enjoyed. And if the score he racked up just happened to be in cold, hard gil, so much the better. He wasn't emotional about it… neither the wins nor the losses. He could always earn more money. No matter what, he could survive, so it wasn't a problem for him to give everything he had for Ellone's sake.

Nor was it a problem to earn it back, though this time he had a specific reason for wanting to do so. He discovered that he liked the idea of having a comfortable financial reserve; it gave him far more options than he would have had otherwise.

Options like taking a week off from work with no regrets.

"Are you ready to order?" The waiter returned, asking them. Rinoa and Squall both nodded and told the man what they wanted.

After the man left, Rinoa rested her chin on her clasped hands for a moment, studying Squall intently before commenting, "You know, I took you for a sailor in the coffee shop. Now I know where you came by the peacoat."

"Yeah, well I didn't need any of my really warm gear when I moved to Esthar. It works pretty well for the odd rainy day we get there." Squall replied.

"And it looks very nice on you as well." Rinoa said with a smile.

Squall chuckled softly and nodded once, acknowledging and agreeing with her observation. They lapsed into silence when the waiter returned with the wine they'd ordered, and as one, they both picked up their glasses and paused, gazing at each other.

"Well, it's not Red Moon, but it'll do for a casual dinner," Rinoa finally said, taking a sip.

Squall followed suit and commented, "It's not bad."

Dinner, when it arrived, was very good, and the wine paired well with it. Squall enjoyed it immensely, and not just because he was hungry. The company he was with far outstripped the meal; what he was eating and where made no difference to him. As long as he was able to study the way the light caressed her flawless skin, gilded the caramel highlights in her hair and made her brown eyes sparkle, he was content. He _did_ enjoy the prime rib of course; it was delicious. But that was just an added bonus.

"How's the steak?" Rinoa asked him as the conversation lagged a bit. She began to understand that he was naturally taciturn and would need encouragement to actually converse with. He at least seemed a bit more willing this time around to talk to her, though he rarely initiated anything.

"Very good." Squall answered her after sipping a bit of his wine.

"Have you been here before?" Rinoa asked.

"Here as in Deling City? Or here as in this restaurant?" Squall asked her, wondering which she meant.

"The restaurant. I'm sure you've been to Deling City more than once, with Balamb just across the channel like it is." Rinoa clarified.

"No. Not this particular restaurant." Squall answered her.

"It's one of my favorites but I don't come here much. It's kind of pricey and a little out of the way…. But the food's good." Rinoa commented.

"I agree." Squall responded. They lapsed into silence as they each concentrated on finishing their meals.

The waiter arrived with the check a few moments later, which Squall took over Rinoa's protests.

"But I invited you!" she argued.

"It was a mutual decision. Even if you hadn't come with me, I would have had to buy my dinner anyway. It's no trouble for me to pay for your dinner as well as mine, as I was very glad for the company." Squall reasoned.

"But…" Rinoa began, when Squall interrupted her softly, "this is a _date_, Rinoa, which in my book means that _I've_ got this." He twitched the check between his two fingers before laying it back down on the tray it had arrived in and including his credit card. The server quickly returned and picked it up.

"You know, it just doesn't seem fair though, that guys pay for everything on a date. I have a decent enough job, I can contribute…" Rinoa sighed.

"But that would send this into a direction that we may not want it to go, wouldn't it? I can't claim to be an expert on the whole male-female dynamic, my former occupation notwithstanding but…" Squall said, when Rinoa interrupted him.

"Wait. What do you mean, _former_ occupation? Did you lose your job?"

Squall shook his head, "No. I'm still head of security at the resort, _that_ hasn't changed. But I had myself removed from the concierge list."

Rinoa felt as though all the air had been squeezed out of her lungs, and she simply stared at him, eyes wide.

"Why?" she finally breathed.

"I should think the answer to that would be obvious."

Rinoa swallowed, then licked her lips before asking in a small voice, "for….me?"

Squall considered that, and nodded in confirmation. He had earned back the money he'd spent for Ellone's treatment, but even if he hadn't, he'd have had himself removed from the concierge list. And yes, it would have been for Rinoa's sake. He didn't want _that_ to add yet another obstacle to…whatever it was that he hoped would develop from this. He almost wanted to laugh at the fact that he was so clueless that he didn't even know what it was that he wanted from her. He simply wanted to see her again, and maybe take a stab at figuring it out.

"Yes. Mostly, anyway." He answered.

"But…I thought…. didn't you like doing it?" She asked, confused. That didn't make sense. He quit that job for _her_? That implied something far more than a single night in his bed, glorious though it might have been, could account for.

"On a certain level, yes, I did. I'd be lying if I said I didn't. But it was a means to an end. A method to reach a certain goal; it was never intended to be a permanent occupation. You just gave me another reason to quit doing it, that's all." Squall responded.

"Another reason? You had more than one?" Rinoa asked, tilting her head to the side slightly.

"Yes. The original reason I took it on no longer applies." Squall answered her.

_The original reason… _Rinoa paused for a moment, frowning as she tried to recall what, if anything, he'd said about that. The only thing she remembered him saying was that he'd needed to earn extra gil, but he'd never answered her question of why.

"So…" she said slowly, "you don't need to earn the extra money anymore? You never answered my question of why you needed it in the first place."

Squall looked away for a moment, expression pensive, and sighed, "no, I didn't." Then he turned and met her eyes and added, "it was personal, and at that point I didn't feel it something that you needed to know."

"What about now?" Rinoa asked him, hoping that she wasn't pushing. The fact that he was _there_, that he was making an effort to relate to her, told her many things. Things that both frightened and excited her. His physical attraction to her had never been in question, despite the fact that he'd baldly stated that he only "did" blonds. Rinoa began to think that it had something to do with his job as a concierge that he'd made that distinction. But this implied that his interest went beyond the physical.

"Now it's…. different." He admitted, and then he explained, "Ellone had been sick with leukemia when I found her, and fighting it had worn her resources to nothing. Simply put, she needed gil for her treatment and she'd run out. She was by no means well and the added stress of how to pay for it all didn't help. Meanwhile, I had managed to accumulate a rather substantial reserve as a SeeD, particularly once I'd made commander. So I used it all up; my retirement fund, my savings, everything, to help her. She's in remission now, and getting stronger every day. I've earned back all that I'd spent and then some; I've discovered a latent talent for investing that's paid off rather well. So, no, I didn't need to do the concierge thing any longer."

The waiter returned then with the receipt and Squall's card. He signed it and added a tip; a rather generous one, from what Rinoa could see, and they left.

* * *

Squall's revelation had left Rinoa with plenty to think about as they strolled along the central strip through Deling City. He'd reclaimed her hand, engulfing it and warming it with his. They'd fallen into silence again, but it wasn't an uncomfortable one. Instead, Squall appeared content to simply gaze about as though reacquainting himself with the bright lights and bustling energy of the city.

They came upon a street musician playing outside one of the more eclectic shops along the strip; a bookstore/café/coffeehouse sort of affair, and Rinoa paused to listen to him. Still holding her hand, Squall of course stopped as well.

Rinoa sighed, listening to the music, and leaned into Squall. He obligingly released her hand and wrapped his arm around her instead, pulling her close to his side. The guitarist was quite good, his playing imbued with both energy and an intricate, melodic flair. It was easy to become lost in the melody, but Rinoa was able to discern the beat that flowed beneath it. The time signature was a familiar one, and Rinoa suddenly had a mad urge to dance.

She moved, turning to face Squall and took both of his hands and smiled up into his face, eyes sparkling with both mischief and excitement, saying, "dance with me."

Squall smiled down at Rinoa, her smiling energy holding him captive, and asked her, "What? Here? Now?"

"Yes. Right now." Rinoa urged him.

"There are too many people here. There's no room," he said, knowing it was a weak argument and not putting much effort into resisting her invitation in any case.

"They'll make room. Come on, dance with me." she said, still smiling.

"All right," he capitulated, pulling her into his arms. He paused for a moment, listening to the music. Finally finding the beat, the simple three-four time signature that every waltz ever composed adhered to, he began to dance.

As Rinoa had predicted, the gathered crowd, sparse at first then growing as they danced, _did_ make room for them. And the musician flashed a quick grin at them and continued playing, keeping the beat measured and the melody sweet. Squall let the melody and the rhythm lead them both along, completely oblivious to the fact that they were both dancing in the street in front of strangers instead of within a gilded ballroom.

It didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was the woman in his arms. The only thing he paid attention to was her brilliant smile and the sparkle in her brown eyes. Those same, warm, bottomless brown eyes that he fell into, every time he gazed into them. And he fell deeper, each and every time. He didn't think he'd ever _stop_ falling. He'd simply fall forever, lost in her eyes.

The music finally ended and they stopped dancing but continued to gaze at each other, breaths steaming in the cold night air. They ignored the applause and comments of the onlookers, completely focused upon each other. Squall brought a hand up and caressed her soft cheek, marveling anew at its delicacy, then bent forward and kissed her.

He kept it brief but sweet, though Rinoa couldn't mistake the dark, smoldering look in his eyes as he pulled back. She rather suspected hers looked the same. Certainly, she felt the same way.

Recapturing her hand again, Squall said softly, "We should head back."

"Yeah." Rinoa agreed. As they turned to leave, Squall fished something out of his pocket and flipped it toward the musician. The twenty-gil piece landed in the guitar case with a muffled ping as they walked away. The man smiled wistfully after the young couple and returned to his playing with renewed energy. They had drawn a crowd with their dancing, and that crowd stayed, appreciating what the two lovers had enjoyed as well. It was shaping up to be a beautiful night.

* * *

Author's note: Sorry for the extended delay in completing this chapter. Distractions as always, abound. Still working on the illustrations project, and the next one up is for Future Says Run... dunno when I'll have anything worth posting but when I do I'll put it on my twitter page. I also want to complete a sort of "valentine" of Rinoa for Squall. Hopefully I'll manage to get that done by the 14th. Meanwhile, enjoy!

PS... I erred in the time signature for the waltz, as has been pointed out. My apologies, it has since been corrected.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter XI

Angelo greeted them with happy barks and whines when they returned, and Rinoa said, "I need to take her out for a minute. Just to make sure she's okay for the rest of the night."

"All right," Squall said, watching as Rinoa got a leash and some plastic bags, hooking the leash to the dog's collar. The dog meanwhile was wiggling and dancing in such a manner that Squall was hard put not to laugh at her antics. She was obviously happy at the prospect of a walk, brief though it might be.

Squall joined them of course, seeing no point to simply waiting alone in Rinoa's apartment for her. They wandered briefly around an apparently familiar route, as the dog paused here and there to sniff and leave her calling card. Rinoa had her hands occupied with Angelo's leash and the bags, which Squall discovered to his consternation, were brought along to deal with the dog's waste.

Jamming his hands deep into his pockets to warm them, he kept pace with Rinoa and her dog, wondering why the hell he suddenly felt so damn tired. Sitting on a plane for hours, crossing through who knew how many time zones, and then a substantial dinner with wine on top of it…. he supposed that would definitely have something to do with it. He'd traveled to and from Esthar before though, and had thought himself hardier than that.

"You're awfully quiet. Hard to tell sometimes what's in your mind." Rinoa commented.

Squall smiled slightly at this, replying, "Tired."

Rinoa smiled sympathetically, "I know how you feel. When I got home I was exhausted, and all I did was sit on a plane for six hours. I finally crashed for half a day and that sort of straightened everything out." then she sighed dramatically and gave him a mischievous look, adding, "Well, just because you're crashing at my place, don't feel like you have to put out or anything like that. I promise I won't make you do anything you don't want to do."

Squall couldn't help but laugh at that, replying with a raised eyebrow and a half-smile, "I believe I've heard that somewhere before." then his expression turned smoldering as he added, "It'll take a lot more than jet-lag to put me off my game. I can certainly _rise_ to the occasion if the situation requires me to."

"Is that an offer?" Rinoa asked archly, while her heart fluttered and a rush of heat under her skin turned her cheeks pink.

"If you want," Squall answered her, finding her pink cheeks and _almost_ flirtatious manner incredibly endearing. And so damned attractive it just about drove him mad.

Her next question however, hit his heart like a blow: "What do _you_ want, Squall?"

He swallowed and stared at her, momentarily unable to reply. _You. I want you. I want to hold you, make love with you, wake up with you…I want everything. I want to know how it feels to have…_ He couldn't finish the thought. He found it difficult, even in his own mind, to articulate what his heart and soul were clamoring for, craving.

But that was why he'd taken the time off from work and flown halfway across the world. So he could learn what it was that he'd been missing, and maybe…maybe finally find that missing piece of himself that he'd never realized before even existed.

Finally he answered her softly, "I want you." _For as long as you'll have me…_

Rinoa smiled gently at this, while her heart pounded a mile a minute, and said, "Come on."

They made their way back the way they'd come, with Rinoa pausing briefly to pitch one of her waste bags into the garbage. Instead of reaching for his hand, Rinoa instead stuck it in her pocket, an action that relieved Squall somewhat.

Upon returning to her apartment, Rinoa immediately headed toward the kitchen and washed her hands. Returning to where Squall stood waiting for her, she finally reached for his hands. Squall obligingly pulled his hands out of his pockets and threaded his fingers through hers.

"Let's go to bed," Rinoa invited, leaving it open as to whether or not it be just for sleep. Squall nodded, agreeing silently to her invitation and followed her as she tugged on his hands, leading him toward her bedroom.

It was odd; he'd been with more than a few women sexually, and could in no way be considered a novice at that activity. Yet he here he was actually feeling a little nervous. Perhaps it was because he was far outside of his comfort zone; in a different country, in Rinoa's home instead of his, in a situation that involved feelings that he'd never experienced before. Feelings that grew stronger by the moment.

Then Rinoa reached up and kissed him, and all he could think of from that instant was the feel, the taste of her lips on his. The only thing that mattered was the scent of her skin; how it felt under his fingertips when he let go of her hands and ran them up her arms to her face, cradling it. The warmth of her body as she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled close, pressing against him, seeped into him.

He lingered on her lips, pressing his closer, sliding them over hers and teasing until they opened slightly and allowed him full access. He wanted to devour their warm, silken succulence then but he held off, wanting to take his time with her. So he employed his tongue to taste and tantalize while spearing his hands through Rinoa's hair and tangling his fingers through the silken strands.

Rinoa meanwhile had slipped her hands beneath his shirt and was caressing his back, wanting to see, and feel, and _taste_ more of his smooth skin. Knowing now what kind of lover he was, and being with him in this moment, had ignited a hunger within her to experience that again. This time, without the initial pain, Rinoa had little doubt that it would be…. fantastic. Amazing. Awesome.

They separated briefly, both breathless, for Rinoa to stroke her hands up his chest beneath his shirt, pulling it off, before pressing close again to kiss and nip gently at his neck and down to his nipples. It thrilled her to hear him gasp and moan softly as she teased and nibbled at them, gradually working her way downward. Intent upon something that would come as a complete surprise to him.

They had gradually been moving toward the bed as they'd kissed, with Squall now standing with his back to it while Rinoa continued to explore his torso with her lips and fingers. The first time she brushed her hands across the front of his jeans, where his excitement was plain, he thought it was just an inadvertent touch. The second time however, had more purpose as her fingers trailed upward to the waistband, unbuttoning the top and pulling the zipper down.

Then she was pressing close again and kissing him as her hands were smoothing up and down his back and over the curve of his butt, pushing his impeding clothing out of the way. When Rinoa started trailing her lips down Squall's chest and abdomen, he found it difficult to breathe; when she took hold of him and started to stroke and caress him, he thought he'd explode. When she sank down gracefully and took him into her mouth, his knees went weak and he nearly lost his mind.

"Rinoa…Oh my G-…" he whispered, closing his eyes and moaning, beyond the ability to form coherent thought. He was lost, completely lost in the sensations he was awash in, unable and unwilling to stop Rinoa's gentle assault upon his person.

Squall was wholly at her mercy. It was up to her to decide if she wanted to continue and let things come to their natural conclusion or hold off and take it in another direction. The only thing Squall was able to do was tangle his fingers through her hair and try to remember how to breathe. She continued her efforts, taking him deep, cradling and caressing him gently before sliding her hands up over his hips and around to his backside. She held on, using her grip for leverage as she continued to slide her mouth, lips and tongue all over him, bent upon drinking in his essence. When he looked down at her and saw her brown eyes sparkling as they met his, encouraging him to let go, he couldn't stand the aching tension any longer and did what her mouth and hands had urged him to do.

He came so hard it was all he could do to stay on his feet. A ragged moan was dragged from him as he clutched at Rinoa's hair while his knees went to water. He stayed upright as long as he could, but it wasn't very long until he simply _had_ to sit down onto the edge of the bed. Then he flopped backward and lay still, staring at the ceiling while waiting for his brain to start working again.

Light kisses and feathery caresses trailed upward toward his chest as Rinoa worked her way up to cuddle next to him, planting a lingering kiss on his shoulder. Squall glanced over and laughed breathlessly at the expression of smug mischief that Rinoa wore.

"So…?" Rinoa began, laughing with him.

"That was…" he let out a breath, "Unexpected." Then he looked over at Rinoa again, noticing that she was still mostly dressed while _he_ hadn't managed to get entirely out of his clothes either.

Rinoa frowned in confusion as he sat up, took off his shoes and pulled his pants off the rest of the way.

"Wait, aren't you…. done?" she asked, biting her lip.

"Yes," he answered her, lying back down onto the bed and pulling her into his arms. Kissing her deeply, he breathed, "but _you_ aren't." Rinoa's breath left her as he began nibbling at her ears and down her neck while deftly pulling off her shirt and bra.

"But I thought guys couldn't…uh…go again once they'd…um…" Rinoa said awkwardly, finding it hard to string words into a coherent sentence. Certainly not while Squall was occupied with teasing and fondling her breasts and nipples.

He paused and grinned down at her, then leaned forward to brush his lips teasingly against hers, saying, "I'll need a few minutes to…. reboot…. if you will, but trust me, I can do this all night if I want to." Then his grin turned wicked as he added, "Meanwhile, turnabout is fair play…" He returned his attention to Rinoa's body, kissing his way down to the waistband of her jeans, then undoing and pulling them off along with her underwear.

"Turna…wha…ooooooh!" Rinoa gasped, and then moaned as Squall began nibbling his way up her inner thigh. She very quickly lost the power of speech, finding that simply drawing breath was the best she could do, and that was only in gasps and moans.

He had her writhing in moments, and he hadn't even touched her center yet. The gentle nips, kisses and caresses that Squall was lavishing on the sensitive skin of her inner thigh was enough to make her burn and ache for more. When he touched and caressed her, the ache intensified and Rinoa responded with another low moan. When he replaced his teasing, manipulating fingers with his lips and tongue, she grasped the bedding for dear life and arched her back, aching, straining, and waiting for the tension to break free. A final flick of his tongue just as he slid two of his fingers inside of her was more than enough to do the trick.

Rinoa cried out and shuddered as pleasure flooded her body and left her gasping for air.

She went limp, her heart still thudding, body still throbbing, and simply tried to breathe. While she was still caught in the throes of her orgasm, Squall's fingers trailed lightly up her side, with his lips planting soft kisses all over her belly and chest.

She came back to herself with Squall nuzzling her neck and then kissing her cheek gently.

"Wow," She managed breathlessly.

"Mmmm." He responded. Then he caressed her cheek and smiled, asking, "Need a minute?"

Rinoa nodded, "Please."

He pulled her close against him and placed a whisper soft kiss on her lips and murmured, "No hurry. We've got all night."

"All night? What about the jetlag?" Rinoa asked him.

Squall raised an eyebrow at this, "I've still got fuel in the tank. Enough for another go round or two. Oh, it'll catch up to me eventually; but not any time soon." He moved his hand from her cheek to her thigh, marveling anew at its velvety smoothness. He let his hand travel upward to her hip and over to her backside, palming and caressing the smooth, firm flesh. He enjoyed a moment of pure male appreciation as he did; her ass was truly gorgeous.

"That's…. good to know," Rinoa managed. She was _still_ trying to catch her breath; Squall had turned the tables on her quite handily. And pressed so close to his body, she couldn't help but feel him awakening _again_, his ardor returning far sooner than she'd thought possible. Obviously, it was far more than his physical proportions that were considered _impressive_, at least according to those who'd heard so from his former clients.

A thought struck her then and she asked him, "You held back for me, didn't you? The first time we…."

"Made love?" He finished.

Rinoa frowned slightly at this and said, "I was going to say had sex. I remember you being rather clear in establishing that distinction."

"I know. That first night, before I learned you were a virgin, that's how I would have viewed it." He shifted, slowly moving his hand up from her butt to her waist, to finally reach and caress her breast, saying softly, "But that was before."

Rinoa's heart, only just starting to calm, started to pound again. Her skin, still sensitized, seemed to tingle at his light caresses.

Finding it difficult to draw in a full breath, Rinoa asked, "What changed?"

"Everything." He whispered, pressing his lips against hers in a gentle, lingering kiss. "To answer your earlier question, yes, I did hold back for you. I didn't want to frighten or hurt you. It's bad enough you had to endure that first bit of pain, but adding fear on top of it? I didn't want _that_ to be your first experience. So I did my best to see that you enjoyed it in spite of that. I'm glad that I managed to be successful."

"You were. It was far better than I could have possibly imagined." Rinoa whispered, caressing his cheek. "And if your intention was to have me coming back for more then you were successful in that aim as well."

Squall smiled slowly, "Thank you. I'm glad to hear it. Are you ready for more then?"

"Oh, yes…very much so." Rinoa breathed.

"Good." Squall said, covering her lips with his, branding them with a searing kiss.

Rinoa's eyes drifted closed as she speared her hands through his hair, drowning in the sensation of his kiss, the texture and flavor of his mouth on hers. She fought for breath even as he stole it with every kiss and caress, moaning as his lips traveled from hers and down her neck to her breasts. He suckled, teased and tantalized her nipples to hardened nubs, sending molten fire to her loins and making her shift and writhe at the aching hunger it raised.

At the same time, she let her hands roam where they would as well, discovering and flexing her awakening sensuality and feeling smug at the effect it had on Squall. Running her fingers through his hair and letting her nails scrape lightly along his scalp drew an appreciative growl from him. Doing the same with his smoothly muscled back made him gasp, while letting her lips follow her fingers over the hard planes of his chest and abdomen toward his groin, after he'd shifted onto his back, made him moan again.

When she took him in hand and began caressing him, fascinated by how quickly he was restored to readiness, he grasped her wrist, stopping her.

"Not this time." He murmured, making Rinoa smile at how she affected him. He smiled back and moved away for a moment to retrieve a condom from his pants pocket.

As he put it on, Rinoa commented, "You're very conscientious about that."

"Safer for both of us," He responded, returning to settle his body on top of hers, kissing her and threading his fingers through her hair. "Less to worry about afterward. I'd rather the only thing I left behind was a pleasant memory."

Rinoa couldn't reply; her voice was driven from her in a long gasp as he entered her in that moment, smoothly sheathing himself fully within her body, this time without any resistance. There was a brief instant of initial discomfort; a faint echo of the pain from their first encounter, but it quickly faded as her body adapted to Squall's intimate invasion. He paused then, trailing his lips along her cheek, leaving a tickling, tingling sensation behind as his lips made their way to hers.

"Okay?" he asked her, lips just brushing hers.

She nodded slightly, answering on a breath, "yes…"And it _was_. Her sensitized nerve endings, only just recovering from her earlier climax, sent shockwaves of pleasure at his every movement. When a slight shift of his body elicited another gasp from her, his purely male smile of smug, sensual satisfaction at her response made her want to melt.

Pressing his lips against hers, making her want to weep at the combination of sweetness and pure, unadulterated lust that even that light contact could transmit, Squall finally whispered, "Good. I promise you, this will be _much_ better than our first time."

With that statement, he began moving, gently at first, with long, smooth strokes. As he did he paid strict attention to Rinoa's responses; he _tried_ to anyway. The way she felt under and around him, the way she responded to his every kiss and touch, was enough to make him lose his mind. As she was still new to the activity however, he did his best not to get too carried away. But with her legs wrapped around his hips and her hands sliding up and down his back, coupled with the fact that she fit him like a glove, he was fighting a losing battle.

_Gods…you feel so good…so TIGHT…_He was on the verge of whispering that hotly into her ear, but what was in his mind remained stuck there, for a number of reasons. One reason was because he didn't know if that would excite her or put her off (some women enjoyed that sort of thing, but not all of them did), another was…. well…he was too focused on what he was doing. It was short-circuiting the conduit between his brain and his mouth (which in retrospect was probably a good thing). It wouldn't have mattered much anyway; Rinoa was vocal enough for the both of them, though it was mainly gasps and moans that she uttered.

Not even if her life had depended upon it could she have formed a coherent sentence. Not while awash and drowning in the sensations assaulting her. It was all she could do to breathe as Squall surged and retreated, his movements becoming more forceful and confident at her obvious enjoyment. And everything, _everything_, from the heat and weight of his body atop hers, the slide of muscle under sweat-slicked skin, his scent, the taste of his kisses, the feel of him within her…it all combined to transport her to a sensual height that she'd never before experienced.

The slow build to that final crescendo was maddening for her though, making her reach and claw for it, digging her nails into Squall's back as she strove with him, meeting him thrust for thrust…. urging him to step up the intensity. He did so at her silent urging, no longer able to even think; he was as lost in her as she was in him.

When she finally came with a gasping, sobbing cry, pulsing around him and shuddering in his arms, he followed her, gasping and groaning at the intense flood of sensation that left him momentarily deaf, dumb and blind.

He came to himself practically crushing her in his arms, heart still thumping heavily, still fighting to regain his breath. Hearing Rinoa's similarly labored breaths, Squall loosened his hold on her and looked down into her face, studying her in the aftermath of their interlude. Her eyes were closed and her face was flushed, lips moist and slightly parted. He'd never seen a more beautiful sight in his life, and was compelled to press his lips against hers so he could taste them once again. Her fingers speared through his hair as he kissed her, lingering over it, savoring it, before he finally pulled back.

"Wow," she said, finally finding her voice, trailing her fingers from the back of his head to caress his cheek. "You were right…it was…_you_ were…much better this time." Then she added awkwardly, "not that you were bad before…"

"I wasn't too rough? I didn't want to get too carried away and hurt you…" Squall asked her softly. Ordinarily he was perfectly confident in his skills, but again, this situation was outside the norm for him. So, while she hadn't given any indication of discomfort at any point, he _did_ worry a little. Particularly as he _had_ in fact gotten carried away, at least to his way of thinking. Certainly any attempt at control had quickly slipped though his fingers like water. That had never happened to him before. With _anyone_.

Rinoa sighed languorously and smiled up at him, slipping her hands around to his back to hug him tightly, caressing his warm, smooth skin again. There was something soft and nakedly vulnerable in his gaze that went straight to her heart.

"No, you weren't." She reassured him softly. He gave her a relieved, almost shy smile and kissed her again before shifting and withdrawing from her. She sighed again as he got up and headed toward the bathroom, missing his warmth and being held in his arms already. Then she smiled, appreciating his rear view as he walked away from her. She appreciated his frontal view as he returned even more.

He paused, a small grin gracing his expression as he caught her staring, and did a bit of staring of his own before finally asking, "What?"

"I just can't get over how gorgeous you are. So, yeah, I have to stare." Rinoa answered him with a smile.

He shook his head, chuckling softly as he continued toward the bed, replying, "That's twice now that you've stolen my line." He yawned suddenly and covered his mouth, blinking in its aftermath.

Rinoa laughed softly and got up, pulling the bedcovers back, "Looks like the jetlag's finally caught up with you. Get in. I'll be back in a minute."

He came up to her, standing so close that they were nearly touching, and rested his hands lightly on her hips as he leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. Rinoa slid her arms around his waist and pulled close, resting against his chest. She smiled contentedly to herself as his embrace tightened in response to hers.

"All right." He finally said and released her, stepping around her to get into the bed and shift over so as to leave room for her. He propped his head on his fist and watched her leave to make use of the facilities as he had.

He blinked his burning eyes as he waited, the fatigue that his errant yawn had hinted at suddenly crashing down upon him. He was a little disappointed in himself. He thought he had more stamina than _that_. True, he'd just gotten out of the hospital but it was a relatively minor injury and he'd healed from it completely. He thought about the bottle of healing elixir that he'd brought with him and considered using it, then abandoned the thought. There was no real reason for him to do so; it was simple fatigue and nothing more. He had been awake now for nearly twenty hours, if one added the time difference, the time it had taken him to prepare to leave, travel to the airport _and_ the time he'd spent in the airport prior to boarding, to his six-plus hour flight.

Still, he'd wanted nothing more than to make love with Rinoa all night. Sadly, it looked as though that plan would have to be abandoned in favor of sleep. He'd have to content himself with simply holding her in his arms instead. As she returned from the bathroom and approached the bed, Squall looked his fill just as she had.

Even though he was too tired to do _exactly_ everything that he wanted that night, he found that he was more than happy with the alternative.

She turned out the light before crawling under the covers with him and snuggling into his arms. He hugged her close, caressing her smooth skin and sighed quietly.

Rinoa too was caressing his skin, lightly running her fingers up and down his chest, letting her tactile senses tell her of the smooth, hard planes of his chest and abdomen in the intimate darkness. He was quiet, but she could tell by his breathing that he was still awake.

Finally she whispered, "I'm glad you're here. I didn't expect you to be willing to fly all the way out here, but I'm glad you did."

He was silent for a moment, before he said softly, "It was all I could think about. I spent all last week lying in a hospital bed, with nothing but you on my mind. I had to see you again."

Rinoa's breath hitched at this, "You were in a hospital last week? Why? What happened?" She shifted, peering anxiously into his face in the darkness.

"The situation that called me away from you was a dangerous one. I resolved it but not without suffering a bad concussion for my trouble." Squall explained, reaching up to caress her cheek.

"You're okay now, right? You seemed okay…" Rinoa asked, trying and failing to see his expression. With the lights off, all she could see was varying gradients of darkness. Dim ambient light seeped in through the curtains in her bedroom window, reflected from the streetlights outside. But it was only enough to give her the ability to discern his shape; a darker shadow amongst all the others.

That shadow nodded, confirming, "I'm fine. No ill effects. Things would have gone rather differently for us tonight had it been otherwise."

Rinoa felt her cheeks warm at this and she laughed slightly, "Yeah, you're right." She shifted position again and snuggled close, pillowing her head on his chest again. She sighed as she felt his hand gently caressing her hair.

"I'm still kind of surprised you're here though. I mean, I'm not even a blond…" Rinoa began.

Squall's snort interrupted her, "That." Sighing heavily, he continued, "_That_ was a…professional preference. I'm not as strongly attracted to blonds so it was easier to keep things at a …certain level."

"So…" Rinoa began slowly, trying to understand his explanation, "You preferred blonds because you _weren't_ attracted to them?"

"Not as strongly, no. A beautiful woman's a beautiful woman, regardless of hair color, so I could still do the job I was hired to do. But it was easier not to get carried away if the attraction wasn't that strong. I hadn't done that sort of thing for long enough to get jaded, so…" He shrugged in the darkness.

"What type of woman are you attracted to then?" Rinoa asked, wondering if she really wanted to know. What if she still wasn't actually his type and he was there simply to…what? Get laid again? If that were all that he wanted he wouldn't have taken himself off the concierge list or flown halfway around the world. No. He'd said he wanted to see her again, that he was where he wanted to be. That implied something more than physical in his interest.

"Haven't you guessed already?" he asked her in turn, sounding amused. "Petite brunettes of course." His hand gently touched the side of her face, tilting it upward. Brushing his thumb lightly over her lower lip, he replaced it with his lips, kissing her lightly.

"I have to apologize. All night long I couldn't tear my eyes off of you. You're so beautiful I couldn't stop staring. And I never said a word." He whispered.

Rinoa couldn't speak. Her heart had leaped into her throat and stopped any attempt to articulate anything. What _could_ she say to something like that? Thank you? I love you? It wasn't possible to fall in love with a man that she'd known for less than a week and had sex with exactly twice, was it? _Was it_?

Instead she lightly traced her hand up from his chest to the side of his face, and just as he did, used it to guide her to his lips. She pressed her lips against his, concentrating on their softness and flavor, gradually deepening the kiss. Heat rose as hands began roaming over smooth skin. Gods help her, she wanted him again. She couldn't help but discover _his_ interest had awakened once again as well when her hand had strayed downward to fondle him.

"I thought you were too tired for another go." She whispered.

"I guess I was mistaken," Squall whispered back. He shifted then, trying to remember where he'd stashed his condoms, then lay back down onto the bed with a frustrated growl. They were still packed away. He'd only had the one actually accessible in his pants pocket. _Way to be prepared, genius. _

"What?" Rinoa asked, fascinated and more than a little excited at how quickly he'd recovered from the last time they'd made love.

"I only had the one condom out, the rest are…out of reach." He sighed, heart pounding and body throbbing with frustrated desire.

"I have some here," Rinoa said, turning away. The sound of a drawer opening and closing sounded in the darkness. "I bought some earlier…before you got here. Just in case."

"I…see…" Squall said, and could say nothing more. He caught his breath and swallowed as he felt Rinoa's hand stroking down his shaft as she covered him. Before he could move, she was straddling him, teasing him with her proximity as she leaned forward, pressing him into the bed and kissing him senseless.

In the darkness, it was all about tactile senses, taste, sound and scent. The hot slide of her tongue over his, the flavor and texture of her kiss. The harsh rasp of labored breaths, the scrape of nails on skin as Rinoa braced herself against his chest. The smooth firmness of her thighs and hips as he slid his hands upward to grasp them. Her sighing moans as he guided her onto him.

Then it was all passion and heat, a waking dream; an erotic fantasy. They explored each other with their lips and their hands, memorizing each other's bodies by feel and by scent. And Rinoa was lost and drifting in those sensations as they strove together toward the peak.

The rough, almost painful scrape of his teeth against her nipples, the hot slide of his lips up her neck, added to the tension coiling within her with every kiss, caress and thrust. She moved with him, stroke for stroke, heart racing and lungs laboring, wanting more, more…he gave her all that she desired, until the tension was released and every nerve ending seemed to fire at once in a never-ending wave of bliss.

She came with a sobbing, shuddering moan, and Squall tightened his grip on her and redoubled his efforts, reaching his peak hard upon the heels of hers. It rose up and drowned him, smothering him under a flood of sensation. He came to himself with his arms wrapped around her, crushing her to his chest as his racing heart and laboring lungs gradually began to calm. Rinoa too had her arms wrapped around him and her fingers tangled in his hair.

He loosened his hold on her, gently letting his hands slide down her back while Rinoa moved her hands to his face, resting her forehead against his.

"Wow," she whispered.

"Yeah," Squall whispered back. His lips found hers again in a gentle, lingering kiss. They remained joined together for several moments, unwilling to part just yet. Then Rinoa shifted with a quiet sigh and moved back to her side of the bed, smiling to herself at the way Squall's hand trailed down her thigh as she moved away from him.

She snuggled under the blankets, blinking sleepily as Squall's shadowy form exited the bed briefly. The sound of running water came from the bathroom moments later, and shortly after that Squall returned to the bed.

As he shifted and reordered their bedding, Rinoa reached for him, her hand coming into contact with his hip, stroking lightly up his side. This prompted him to roll over onto his side facing her and pull her into his arms. She cuddled close; planting a soft kiss on the notch at the base of his throat while his hand stroked her hair lightly. Squeezing her eyes shut, she sighed deeply. She had never felt so warm, so safe…. so protected… and so wonderful.

A deep sigh from the man holding her ruffled her hair, then he whispered, "Good night, Rinoa."

"Good night, Squall." She whispered back.

Silence closed in on them both, and Rinoa could feel sleep gradually stealing over her. Squall's breathing steadied and deepened, and she could tell by that he'd already fallen asleep, travel fatigue combined with the energy he'd expended that night finally taking their toll.

Part of her still couldn't believe he was actually there, despite the warm comfort she was feeling as he held her in his arms. The bubbly upwelling of joy and excitement that she'd felt earlier that morning as she anticipated his arrival was still there, though tempered by the sensual overload of their lovemaking. She certainly couldn't fault his skills in that area; after all, he'd taken on the daunting task of initiating her into the activity in the first place and managing to actually make it not only pleasant but also wonderful.

Now, enough time had passed that her body had healed from her first time and that had made all the difference this time around. _This_ time the sex had been nothing short of amazing. She smiled smugly to herself at this; recalling how she'd surprised Squall with _her_ skills, something that she'd enjoyed _seeing_ nearly as much as he'd apparently enjoyed experiencing.

She sighed again, drifting gently into sleep, wrapped warmly in the arms of her lover, breathing in the spicy, musky scent of his skin, and feeling true bliss for the first time in her life.

* * *

Squall woke to the feel of another body pressed close against his… not an unusual occurrence, given his occupation. _Former_ occupation, he amended mentally. He sighed, shifting, and felt another body, a smaller one, lying next to his legs. Blinking, he craned his head over and saw Rinoa's dog, Angelo, curled up on the end of the bed.

Snorting softly, he returned his attention to the woman whose bed he shared, draping his arm over her slender waist and pulling her close. He simply lay there awhile, allowing himself to luxuriate in the warmth of her body next to his, the silken feel of her skin, and the scent of her hair as he nuzzled the back of her neck. He was normally up and about much earlier than this, but he didn't want to leave. Not yet.

Not when he could, if Rinoa was amenable, repeat last night's lovemaking.

She surprised him, on many different levels, not the least of which was the way she had almost literally blown his mind the previous night. And while he wanted her again with a fierce hunger, what he felt in his heart was equally strong. He didn't want to name it yet however. It was too soon for him to attempt to identify it.

But it had taken root within him virtually the moment he laid his eyes upon her, and it had gown gradually, whether he willed it or no. At the moment, he decided to let it be to do what it would. He would try to anyway; uncertainty was not something he dealt with very well, and this entire visit was fraught with it. He had no guarantee that Rinoa would want anything to do with him again after his visit; nor could he guarantee that _his_ interest would hold beyond this week.

Though if he was to be honest with himself, Squall didn't see his fascination with her waning for a long time to come…. if ever. Not when the mere sight of her smile was enough to set his heart pounding.

He watched her sleep and debated over waking her or not. On the one hand, she looked so beautiful and peaceful, so innocent in slumber the he didn't want to disturb her. On the other hand, he was craving the taste of her lips and the feel of her body beneath and around him once again. Positively aching for it, as a matter of fact.

She sighed and shifted, rubbing against that part of him that was even more awake than _he_ was, prompting him to groan softly at the sensation. Gods, she was killing him.

He planted a soft kiss on her shoulder, then transferred his lips to her neck, kissing it lightly, tracking his lips upward toward her cheek. He followed a similar path with his hand, stroking upward along her flat belly toward a breast, cupping, then caressing it. She shifted again, her breathing quickening on a soft moan, betraying the fact that she'd awakened. The movement rubbed against him in a most distracting manner, leading him to believe it was deliberate.

"Good morning," he whispered, lips brushing her ear. He smiled to himself as he saw her shiver. She shifted around to face him, and he pulled her flush against his body.

"Good morning," she murmured in return, slowly smoothing her hand down his back to his firm backside and over his hip.

"Very," he breathed, dropping feathery kisses along her cheek. "So far anyway." His hand traveled down her back to her butt, pressing her into him and leaving no doubt as to _how_ awake he was.

Rinoa's heart started to race and an ache started low in her groin as she managed to ask, "I'm guessing morning dragon-breath isn't a deterrent for you?"

"I don't mind yours if you don't mind mine," he murmured, brushing his lips teasingly over hers.

"mmm..." Rinoa sighed, closing her eyes and leaning into his kiss. "Just kiss me."

Squall needed no further encouragement to meld his lips with hers, molding her body to his as he devoured her lips, the kiss inflaming both of them.

"With pleasure," Squall whispered. Rinoa moaned softly as his hands traveled her body, leaving trails of gooseflesh and making her breath come short. His lips followed where his hands had led, the heat they left behind threatening to melt her from the inside.

"Are…." She gasped, breathless, "Are you always this…." She swallowed. Gods, she couldn't think. "Passionate…. in the mornings?" Squall paused, frowning down at her slightly. Then he leaned away from her for a moment, the cessation of his kisses and caresses leaving her heart pounding and body aching. _ Oh…please don't stop… _Rinoa begged him silently, hoping that she hadn't…. distracted him...with her question.

She needn't have worried. He returned to his former position, twitching a condom between his fingers with one eyebrow raised. Rinoa's mouth went dry and her heart threatened to burst from her chest in anticipation as he prepared himself.

He settled himself against her, his body covering hers, his heat warming her. He gently caressed her cheek then kissed her deeply as he slid home and drew a throaty moan from Rinoa as his body joined with hers.

Finally, as he started to move, he breathed, "No. Not always." Then no more words could be exchanged as she wrapped her arms around him and held him to her, following the surge and retreat of his movements. She couldn't think anymore, just feel, and what she felt…. was overwhelming. She was drowning, lost in the passion that had control of them both. She wrapped her legs around his hips as well, striving with him to reach the peak, heart pounding and lungs fighting for air.

And everything, _everything _fell away, leaving only the man in her arms and the sensations he evoked with every movement and touch, every kiss and caress. She let it all wash over her and sweep her away, the tension building to an unbearable, almost painful level. Rinoa's nails bit into his back, a sign of that tension, as she silently begged for more. Squall stepped up his pace and intensity, instinct taking over and telling him exactly what was needed to reach that sweet release that they both ached for. And he gave her what she asked for with her moans, cries and movements.

A final thrust, and she arched her back with a shuddering cry, coming apart in his arms as her release flooded her with a wave of pleasure. Squall simply watched her, completely fascinated by the sight of her in the throes of passion. And her moans and sighs, the feel of her trembling and pulsing beneath and around him, drew him with her. He followed her willingly to that peak, achieving his own release hard upon the heels of hers, gasping and groaning himself at its intensity.

It felt like his heart would burst, his lungs falter and fail. His mind went blank for a moment as the pleasure washed over him, and all he could focus upon was what both he and Rinoa were feeling in that moment. A moment that was far too brief; it took but a few heartbeats for the wave to pass and his heart begin to calm.

And he and Rinoa simply stared into each other's eyes, what they were feeling still too new to be articulated, or identified. He'd been telling the truth when he'd admitted that this level of passion first thing in the morning wasn't a common occurrence. He usually got up before his clients did and made them coffee, arranged their itinerary and set off on his morning run before they stirred. Oh, there was a rare few that were early risers like he was, who'd join him in his first cup and even jog with him after they'd had sex. But that wasn't often, and Squall had actually preferred it that way.

But this was different. Everything was different. But….it also felt…right. He knew he had only a limited time to be with her, only a week. He refused to think about that however. He didn't want to think about leaving her. He also didn't want to think about how he might manage to continue to see her, be with her, when half a world would separate them when he returned to Esthar.

It was too soon to be thinking of that anyway. By the time they reached the end of his stay, either she or he might conclude that as pleasant as their interlude had been, it was just a moment out of time. A fling. They would go their separate ways with hopefully good memories of that time, and move on. No one could predict the future.

He bent forward and kissed her again. And whether he wanted it to or not, what he felt was transmitted in that kiss. It held all the tenderness and longing and everything else that had left his heart full to overflowing. The sheer sweetness was enough to make Rinoa's eyes sting with tears.

"I'll be right back," Squall said softly, giving her another kiss and caressing her cheek before he withdrew and got out of bed.

Rinoa sighed as he left, staring unabashedly at his body and feeling like she'd won the lottery. She certainly felt as lucky as though she had; nobody she'd dated in the past even came close to being as sexy. Not even Allyn, though he'd certainly been handsome enough for her.

She rolled onto her side and snuggled under the blankets, missing Squall's warmth already as the morning chill started to seep in. Her body still thrummed from their lovemaking, and she wrapped her arms around herself as she recalled the feel of his hands caressing her, lips kissing her, body covering hers… she was very tempted to simply spend the rest of the day in bed with him.

But she had to get up. Her body had other needs that had to be dealt with, and once those were addressed, she needed to walk Angelo.

Squall returned to Rinoa's bed, shivering slightly in the chill, but rather than getting back into the bed, he knelt down beside it and caressed her hair lightly.

"Chilly morning," Rinoa commented, prompting Squall to smile ruefully at her.

"That obvious is it?" he asked.

"I saw you shiver. Didn't notice anything else." She smiled at him.

"Thank you for that." His smile turned gentle, as he suggested, "Why don't you go and take your shower? I'll make some coffee."

"All right. If you want, you can use my robe. It's terrycloth, so it should be warm. It's hanging on the back of the bathroom door." Rinoa suggested.

Squall laughed softly, "Okay, if it fits."

"It should, its a little oversized on me." she replied.

"And fortunately, _not_ pink. Thank you." He said, standing up and reaching down for her hand. She placed her hand in his and he gently gripped it and helped her out of bed, pulling her into his arms.

Rinoa wrapped her arms around him then and leaned into his warmth, sighing happily. Squall tightened his arms around her, caressing her back and enjoying the feel of her in his arms far too much. Finally he pulled back slightly and kissed her forehead softly.

"Come on," he said, shifting to her side and leaving one arm around her, guiding her to the bathroom.

Once they got there, he pulled the robe off of the hook on the back of the door as Rinoa got the shower started. She turned around just as he was putting the robe on. Or _attempting_ to, at any rate.

"Well, oversized for you is obviously still not big enough for me," Squall commented wryly, glancing down at the garment that barely covered him. He could cinch it closed, but only just, and any movement at all would have it gaping open in a very revealing manner. Rinoa couldn't help it, she giggled at the image he presented. He glanced up from studying the way sleeves of the robe stopped more than six inches short of his wrists and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, dear!" she said, covering her mouth with her hand. "You're so slender I thought that it'd fit. I'm sorry!"

He snorted and took the robe off, returning it to the hook, "Don't be. Don't know why I even thought that would fit. You're _petite_. As in small." Then he approached her with a half smile quirking his lips and added, "and trim, and delicate and _gorgeous_." He concluded, stopping only when his lips met hers softly.

Rinoa's heart fluttered, then she slapped playfully at his chest as she managed to say breathlessly, "Go! Get out of here and make the coffee or we'll never get out of the bedroom!"

He chuckled as she ducked into the shower and said, "You say that like it's a _bad_ thing."

"Go! Coffee! NOW!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Squall retorted teasingly, even going so far as to salute her, despite the fact that she was now in the shower and couldn't see it.

He padded out of the bathroom and through her bedroom into the living room, blinking as he noticed the dog on the couch, and wondering when she'd left the bedroom. He'd been so wrapped up in making love with Rinoa, he hadn't noticed. Well, at least Rinoa's dog didn't appear to be the sort to take offense at the liberties he was taking with her mistress. Either that, or she'd already accepted him as part of her pack. He pondered that for a moment, wondering how significant that was. The dog pricked up her ears and yawned as he passed, watching him as he made his way to the kitchen.

Squall yawned as well, rubbing at the gooseflesh on his arms. Okay, it wasn't that cold, not really, but definitely cooler than was comfortable for strolling around buck-naked. He'd get the coffee started and see if he couldn't duck into Rinoa's shower with her.

He spent the next several minutes poking around Rinoa's cupboards looking for coffee filters, her grinder, the beans…which turned out she'd kept in the freezer properly sealed in an airtight plastic storage bag. He filled the pot with cold water and got the brewer ready, then started grinding the beans.

The noise of the grinder was all he could hear for the next few minutes, certainly long enough to drown out the sound of a key rattling in the lock on Rinoa's front door. So he was caught completely by surprise when he started the coffeemaker and turned around to see an auburn haired young woman staring at him with wide green eyes.

They simply stared at each other, both frozen in place, neither sure of what to do next.

Finally the girl, glancing around, called out, "Rinoa? There's a sexy, naked guy making coffee in your kitchen!"

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Everybody's dream, right? Sexy naked guy in your kitchen, making coffee? Okay, maybe not everybody has the same dreams that I do...er... TMI. sorry. Soooo...not much to see here. move on.

sorry it took me so long to update. Life has this way of taking precedence whether you want it to or not. it happens to all of us.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter XII

In retrospect, Squall had to admit that making himself _this_ much at home in Rinoa's apartment, without first learning if she had any friends with keys to the place that were apt to drop by unannounced, was probably not the best idea he'd ever had. He wasn't shy about his body at all, but it _was_ a little awkward standing there completely nude while the girl simply stared at him. _Part_ of him, at least. Unfortunately, it was the part that was the most affected by the cold and the least impressive as a result.

"She's in the shower." Squall finally said.

The girl returned her attention back to him, or rather, his groin, prompting his cheeks to warm and him to say stiffly, "Miss?" He gestured upward with his hand, indicating she should perhaps look at something else. Like his _face_.

She met his eyes again and tilted her head, narrowing her eyes and studying his face. Squall could almost _hear_ the wheels turning in her head, and for some reason had an accompanying mental image of a small rodent scampering madly upon said wheels.

Then her eyes opened wide as apparently, the light bulb in her brain came on and she exclaimed, "It's you!"

"What?" he asked, puzzled.

"You're the guy! The…concierge! From the resort!" she continued, surprise fading away to a wide, brilliant smile as she added, "And you're _here_!"

"Are you…. a friend of Rinoa's?" he asked her cautiously.

"Yes," She answered, still smiling. "Selphie Tilmitt. We put the trip…and your fee… on my card for Rinoa. _And_," she added, smile growing wider, "it was _my_ card that you refunded."

"I see. So you got it then." Squall said calmly.

"Yes! I did!" she confirmed enthusiastically, her growing excitement becoming more and more evident by her animated movements. Squall wouldn't be surprised to see her bouncing next.

"So, why did you refund the fee anyway? And when did you send it? I mean, I just got the text from the credit card people Friday night about the pending credit and I know it takes a few days to process, right? And now you're here! WOW! That's so totally cool!" Selphie exclaimed, clapping her hands animatedly.

Squall sighed and held his hand up, stopping her from exploding into another round of rapid-fire questions.

"I'll… get Rinoa." He said and walked back toward the bedroom. Fortunately he didn't glance back at Selphie, or he would have seen her fanning herself as he walked away.

He entered the bedroom and shut the door behind him, turning toward the bathroom just as the door opened and Rinoa came out, toweling her hair off and wearing her terrycloth robe. He paused for a moment and watched her, smiling slightly at how adorable she looked.

"Oh, is the coffee ready?" she asked, finally noticing him standing there.

"Almost." He said, coming up to her. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and pressed her body close against his, warming him. He appreciated her efforts, for the chill _was_ starting to get to him. He hadn't intended to stand out in the living room stark naked and have a conversation with a strange girl.

"Oh, goodness! You're freezing! Go get in the shower and get warmed up. There's plenty of hot water left." Rinoa urged him.

"All right. Um…. you have a. …Visitor," Squall said.

"A visitor? Someone's _here_?" Rinoa asked him, frowning. Then her eyes widened as she recalled his unclothed state and she added, "You _talked_ to them?"

Squall sighed, "Yes, I did. Apparently your friend, Selphie, has a key. And, I'm afraid she got rather a better look at me than I intended."

Rinoa groaned, "Oh, dear. I had no idea she'd be coming by today. And yes, she does have a key. I gave it to her when she was dog sitting for me last weekend. She probably was coming by to return it." Then she reached up and gave him a soft kiss, one that, once initiated, was very difficult for either of them to avoid escalating. They parted, both short of breath and with hearts pounding, and for Squall at least, other, more obvious effects clearly visible.

Glancing down Rinoa smiled slightly and said, "you'd better go take that shower now. Won't do to let Selphie see you like _that_."

"She's not the sort that would see this as an invitation, would she?" Squall asked, suddenly worried.

Rinoa laughed, "She might, but I don't think you have anything to worry about right now at least."

"All right then," Squall said, diving in for another quick, soft kiss before heading for the bathroom.

Rinoa left him to it, shutting the bedroom door firmly behind her to find Selphie waiting for her in the kitchen, sipping at a cup of coffee. Before she could say anything, her friend attacked her with earsplitting squeals.

"OH MY GOD RIN! I had no _idea_ he was so HOT! I mean, he looked good in the picture but all it showed was his _face_. The rest is just _un-freaking-believable_! And he just showed up _here_? Just to see you? When?" Selphie exclaimed, fortunately having the foresight to set her coffee aside before she pounced on Rinoa and enveloped her in an enthusiastic hug.

"Yesterday afternoon. He called me Friday night but I was out with you so I let it go to voicemail." Rinoa answered, smiling at Selphie's infectious enthusiasm.

"And I can just guess at what you two have been doing since, right?" Selphie said with a wink.

Rinoa blushed fiercely and said, "Well, its not like the evidence is at all ambiguous…" Selphie laughed at this and shook her head.

"Well," Selphie said, fanning herself exaggeratedly, "As off-the-charts sexy as he is, I can see why. I'd be all over him if I were you. And I gotta be honest, I'm seriously wishing that I _was_. Even with all those scars, he makes my knees go weak just looking at him. What happened to him anyway? I mean, it doesn't take away from how good-looking he is, but he certainly looks like he's had some rough times."

"He used to be a SeeD." Rinoa answered. "And as you can tell, it's a pretty dangerous job."

"Yeah. I guess." Selphie said, moving back to the counter to pick up her coffee and take a sip. "That also explains the martial arts instruction part." She put her coffee back down and took a seat at the barstool next to the counter, resting one elbow on the surface and her chin upon her fist.

"So, I'm gonna go out on a limb and take a wild guess that his visit here _isn't_ business related, right? 'Cause I'm kinda doubting that you paid him to come here, and I know damn sure it isn't money he's after anyway." Selphie said.

Rinoa frowned, "No. He just said that he wanted to see me, that's all. I mean, maybe the first time…we were together… it was his job but…"

Selphie smiled gently at this and said, "Sweetie? No, it wasn't."

Rinoa stared at Selphie, confused, and said, "I don't….understand. What do you mean it wasn't his job? He was _paid_ to be my concierge, right? And.…to be with… have _sex_ with… me? You paid for his fee along with the spa package. Didn't you?"

"Yes, Quistis chipped in her bit and we put the whole package on my card but…Rinoa, he refunded his fee back to me." Selphie answered, her smile growing broader. He had to have refunded his fee on either Saturday or Sunday of that weekend, because it didn't actually hit her card until the following Friday. Four days, taking into account that banks weren't generally open on weekends and her card company might have held the credit for a day or two as well…

"He _refunded_… When?" Rinoa asked her, heart starting to pound at what that implied.

"Sometime that weekend. I'm not sure of the exact day, but I can find out," Selphie offered.

"No, it…it's alright. I think I know." Rinoa said softly, recalling that weekend. Then she returned her attention to Selphie and said, "Selphie, I don't think I ever thanked you and Quistis for sending me on that trip." She moved closer to her friend and wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug.

"Thank you so much," She whispered. Pulling back, she added, "I hope you don't mind but I've decided to take Squall with me tonight to the Bears game. It's an important one and I have to be there, and he seemed interested in going."

Selphie smiled widely and said, "I don't mind at all. Just be sure you give him a big kiss when they turn the kiss cam on you. I'll be watching from home to cheer you on!"

Rinoa laughed, "Selphie, we'll be in the owner's box, remember? They probably won't even see us there!"

"Hey, I've seen them focus on the owner's box from time to time. More now, since the Bears have made the playoffs." Selphie said.

"Well, maybe. If they do then I definitely will kiss him. Speaking of which," Rinoa started, prompting Selphie to laugh, "I'll take my key back now," Selphie handed it back, still laughing. "And, not to be rude but I'm going to have to bid you a good day. I have something I need to do right now."

Selphie winked, still laughing, and said, "Have fun! Wait 'til Quistis gets wind of _this_! I can't wait to see her face!"

Rinoa followed Selphie to the door and gave her a final wave before shutting it firmly behind her and locking it securely. Then she turned and headed purposefully toward her bedroom, a secret smile playing about her lips.

* * *

Squall was just pulling a shirt from one of the drawers Rinoa had assigned to him when the door to the bedroom opened and she came in, closing it behind her and leaning against it, smiling at him. She was still wearing her white terry cloth robe; she hadn't gotten dressed yet when her friend Selphie had arrived. Her inky hair was still tumbled about from her towel drying, as she hadn't had the chance to run a comb through it; she hadn't put on any makeup yet either. It didn't matter. Makeup or no, her skin glowed, and her dark-lashed brown eyes sparkled, needing no enhancement to captivate him. Gods above, she _still_ looked innocent and pure, a perfect angel fallen to earth. And he felt completely unworthy of her.

Then she came up to him, holding him frozen with the glow that seemed to brighten as she came closer, the inexplicable joy that emanated from her as she finally reached him, touched him, ran her hands gently up his chest to the back of his neck to pull him into an ardent kiss that stole his breath and stopped his heart.

_What was happening to him? _

He didn't know, but whatever it was, it both frightened and exhilarated him. That sense of dread that came from the feeling of falling was instead gradually replaced by excitement as _falling_ began to feel like _flying_.

"Too bad you've already started to get dressed," she commented softly, starting his heart again by delicately playing her fingers through the still damp hair at the back of his neck. He swallowed, heart thumping heavily.

"That can be remedied," he murmured, suddenly aching to make love with her again. He pressed her close against him, caressing her cheek with the backs of his fingers, unable to stop touching her soft, smooth skin. He let his fingers trail lightly down her neck to her collarbone, following the edge of the robe to where one edge overlapped the other, forming a V in the center her chest. He nudged the cloth aside with his hand, slipping it under the robe to palm and caress one of Rinoa's breasts. Her head fell back with a sigh that Squall stopped by sealing his lips over hers.

He transferred the hand on her back to join his other hand as it worked the loosely knotted sash that held the robe closed, letting both hands explore the contours of her body that were revealed when it fell open. He transferred his hands to her shoulders, pushing the robe off of them, and Rinoa shrugged and helped the garment to fall away, leaving her bare.

She knew she needed to take Angelo out, get some coffee into both of them and do something about breakfast, but truthfully, that all could wait. After hearing Selphie's news, all she wanted to do was to hold Squall in her arms, kiss him silly and make love with him all damn day. Rinoa knew that wasn't something that she could _actually_ do, but she could at least manage once more before they had to get on with the day.

And she was just as compelled to touch and caress _his_ body, as he was _hers_. Letting her hands and fingers explore the different textures of his skin: smooth and unblemished, roughened by hair in various amounts in various areas, ridged by scars… her fingers and hands read them all, imprinting those tactile impressions into her heart just as the scent of his skin, the flavor of his kisses were.

They were back on the bed in a heartbeat, skin to skin, thumping hearts and labored breaths serving to stoke the heat that rose between them.

"Gods," Squall whispered breathlessly, trailing his lips back up the side of Rinoa's neck to her ears. "What you do to me. I can't get enough of you."

"Same with me," Rinoa whispered back, her entire body aflame and aching for him to join with her.

"Good," Squall murmured as he prepared himself, then entered her in a long stroke, thrilling as much to the long moan that drew from her as from the sensation of being inside of her. "I'd hate for this to be a one-sided thing…" He added as he started to move, watching her. Watching as her eyes hazed with pleasure before drifting shut, and deriving nearly as much satisfaction from watching her enjoy their lovemaking as he was from the act itself.

_No chance of that, _Rinoa thought but couldn't say, because he'd already driven her beyond the power of speech. And, though she didn't dare say it…. not yet, not _this_ soon… He'd also seized hold of her heart. Selphie's revelation had pushed Rinoa that final step and she'd tumbled headfirst into love with him.

It was stupid, and impossible, but she couldn't deny what her heart was telling her. She would ask him about that first abortive attempt of hers to have sex with him…she suspected he'd refunded Selphie's card that night. It only made sense. He'd refused the hire after all, so…refund the money. And it was that act of integrity that impressed her all over again. He didn't HAVE to do that. After all, he was still her concierge, and still had _those_ duties to perform outside of the bedroom. Besides, they'd had sex anyway, the next night, though he _was_ rather reluctant initially…. but it wasn't about his hire that time. She knew that now.

So she threaded her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck, wrapping herself around him and holding him close. Loving the warmth of his body covering hers, invading it. Loving the feel of his lips softly kissing and nibbling at her neck, his mouth sealing itself over hers and stealing her breath. Loving the shift and flex of his muscles as he moved, moving with him and meeting him thrust for thrust, breath for breath. Bringing her along with him as he drove them both relentlessly toward ecstasy.

And Squall didn't hold anything back. He couldn't. He was as lost in her as she was in him. The intensity of what he felt both physically and emotionally threatened to overwhelm him. He had neither the will nor the ability to fight it either. It didn't matter anyway; he'd come to Deling, to _Rinoa_, with a willingness to accept what resulted.

Even if it meant losing his heart to her completely.

Rinoa's nails biting into his skin, her throaty moans and gasps, urged Squall to quicken his pace, the building tension in her body echoing his. Her release came on a shuddering cry as she trembled and clutched at him, urging him to join her in her moment of bliss. It took little encouragement for him to do exactly that, moaning himself as pleasure washed over him. They lay together, hearts still pounding, wrapped in each other's arms and insensible to everything but that moment in time. A moment that both wished would last forever.

Such moments are always meant to be fleeting. The world would intrude once again and the moment would pass. But its memory would remain, as would the hunger to revisit that moment, again and again.

Squall smiled down at Rinoa and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips, saying softly, "You never cease to amaze me."

"How so? You're the one that's the expert in bed." Rinoa commented. Squall laughed as he moved off of her, prompting Rinoa to sigh as they separated.

Propping his head on his fist, he lay on his side facing her and said, "I can't claim to be an 'expert'. I'm more _experienced_, but _expert_? I don't think so. Not when you can surprise me so thoroughly."

"How so?" She asked, rolling onto her side to face him as well. He reached out and touched her cheek, caressing it, then ran his thumb lightly over her lower lip, tickling her and sending a thrill up her spine.

"You have to ask?" he said softly. "For someone who was a virgin when we first met, you have some… _interesting_ …talents. Not that I'm _complaining_ at all, mind you."

"Oh. Well, _that_ was because…." Rinoa began, and stopped when Squall gently placed his fingers over her lips.

"I can guess. I don't need to know." Then Squall gave her a small grin, "But he has my thanks."

Rinoa laughed softly at this and drew in a breath, preparing to ask him about what Selphie had told her…but a scratch at her bedroom door, an audible sniff and a whine reminded her that she was overdue for Angelo's walk. She sighed, not wanting to get out of bed just yet, enjoying far too much the afterglow of their lovemaking, Squall's light, idle caresses, the way he continued to touch her as if compelled to… and perhaps reading far too much into the soft look in his eyes when she gazed into them.

He looked away, his attention drawn by Angelo's interruption, and said, "I'm guessing that's a hint."

"Yeah, she's basically saying, 'MOM! I need to go OOOUUUT!'" Rinoa explained, sighing again.

Squall leaned forward and gave her a gentle, lingering kiss, then said, "Then I guess we'd better get up." He suited words to action and got up and headed for the bathroom. Rinoa got up as well, and started getting dressed.

She smiled at him when he returned and began dressing as well, asking, "You coming with me?" She grabbed a pair of her jeans and pulled them on. Squall was likewise pulling on a pair of pants…the black jeans that he'd been wearing when she'd come in and basically jumped on him. Rinoa smiled to herself, wondering what he thought of the monster he'd created.

He pulled on a shirt before answering, "Well, no actually. I thought I'd do something about breakfast while you're taking care of your dog."

Rinoa smiled widely at him, charmed, and asked, "You cook?"

Shrugging, Squall sat down and pulled on a pair of socks, and answered, "Well, kind of. As long as you don't mind eggs that are slightly crispy."

"As long as they aren't _crunchy_ as well I can handle it. _Blackened_ however, might be a bit of a stretch. So, go easy on the eggshells and try not to burn them and we'll be okay." Rinoa said.

Squall laughed, "I'm not that bad."

"Well then, I'm looking forward to it." Rinoa sat down for a moment to put her shoes on. The she grabbed a t-shirt from her drawer and pulled it on, prompting Squall to laugh again when he got a look at it. It was a lovely royal blue color, all the better to set off the orange, tan and red graphic of a moomba's face turned to the side while holding its paw out in a challenging fashion.

" 'Talk to the Paw'? Are you seriously wearing a Marky Moomba shirt?" He chuckled.

"Selphie gave it to me for my birthday last year. And yeah, next to Cheeky Chocobo, Marky Moomba's her favorite animated character. I rather like it, it's a nice color, it's comfortable and it's cute." Rinoa explained.

"Given what little I know of your friend, this isn't a surprise. But I have to wonder, aren't you both a little old to be watching children's cartoons?" Squall asked, curiously.

Rinoa smiled and stood, coming up to him and silently admiring the way the black t-shirt he'd donned looked on him. It was neither so tight that it looked as though he was flaunting himself, nor so loose as to appear sloppy. No graphic on it at all, just plain black. Rinoa sighed. The man was singularly unimaginative in his wardrobe choices, but she couldn't argue too much about them when they looked that good. However, he looked just as good if not better with nothing on at all.

Smoothing her hands up his solid chest, Rinoa smiled, "Selphie and I both agreed to play with our inner children on a regular basis. Keeps us both sane and its fun." Then she tilted her head and asked him, "Didn't you ever watch cartoons when you were a kid?"

"I grew up in a military academy. Not much opportunity to do that when you're up at the first hint of dawn for weapons work and physical training." Squall explained.

"At _eight years old _you were doing this?" Rinoa asked, incredulous. Squall nodded. "Well then, we have some serious catching up to do. And you need to apologize to your inner child for neglecting him for so long, Mr. Leonhart."

Squall gave her a puzzled look, confused at her statement. What was she talking about? Then his attention was directed away from his confusion when she reached up and kissed him gently.

"Adult fun is all well and good, and I certainly am not complaining about _that_. But just plain regular fun is good too. Hopefully, we'll manage that at the hockey game tonight." Rinoa said softly. Then she leaned in and gave him a hug, sighing when his arms tightened around her and he kissed the top of her head.

"I'm sure we will," he replied.

Rinoa smiled at him and turned away, heading toward the door. Squall followed her out into the main room where she got out the dog's lead and waste bags, along with a handful of treats and a couple of toys, putting the lot into a pocket of the coat she put on. Angelo's excited antics kept her busy for the next few moments as she clipped on the lead and put on her coat.

As she prepared to leave, she turned to Squall, saying, "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"I'll be here," he replied, spreading his hands out.

Rinoa smiled, approached him and kissed him again, sighing when they parted and still buzzing from its effects. Oh, she _definitely_ had it bad for him, no doubt about it. Perhaps it was best that he wasn't going with her. It would give her a chance to sort out what exactly it was she was feeling, whether it was simply lust, and a craving for his body and his skill as a lover, or if it _was_ in fact something more. Something that both scared and excited her.

Squall watched her leave, then went over to the counter and poured himself a cup of coffee at long last. He sighed, leaning against the counter, and took a sip. He already knew, or could guess, how it was that Rinoa had acquired one of her more unexpected skills, and didn't need or want a protracted discussion of her prior relationship. It was in the past and all that mattered was moving forward from there. He hoped that Rinoa was doing that, just as _he_ was endeavoring to move on from his _own_ past.

An audible growl from his midsection reminded him that he'd yet to eat and had volunteered to cook breakfast. Setting his coffee aside, he began poking about in the kitchen again, locating the eggs, frying pan and required utensils. Then he set to work. He couldn't claim to be all that great a cook, but he'd lived alone for far longer than he'd lived in a resort hotel, and had managed not to starve during that time. Even when he'd still lived in Balamb Garden as its commander, his hours were such that he didn't always make it to the cafeteria to eat.

So, while his skills may not be on a par with the world-class chef the resort boasted, Squall figured he could at _least_ put together an edible breakfast. A rather meager offering in return for what Rinoa had already given him, but it was a start.

* * *

"You're really into this, aren't you?" Squall asked in amusement as he watched Rinoa prepare to leave for the Bears game. He'd expected maybe the hat and the jersey. It was kind of a given when your favorite sports team was vying for a championship title. Or rather, vying for a chance to _win_ the championship title against whatever opponent survived the playoff gauntlet.

But Rinoa had gone over the top and included not only the hat and the jersey, but a large, blue, foam finger, a white towel (which puzzled Squall, prompting him to make a mental note to ask her about it later), a bobblehead of one of the star players, a game program and a stuffed teddy bear that was wearing the team's jersey as well. Obviously, a plush representation of the team's mascot.

Squall, for his part, had put on the blue sweater he'd purchased the previous day, his scarf and his coat. When Rinoa had sighed about his lack of team spirit, he pointed out that his sweater was very nearly the same shade of blue as her jersey, so it counted.

"Hey, it's the playoffs! You know how long it's been since the Bears were even close?" Rinoa asked as she picked up her purse, juggled her other items for a bit before Squall wordlessly took them from her, earning him a brilliant smile, then led the way out of her apartment to her car.

"No, actually I don't." Squall said, adding, "I haven't followed the bears much lately. Not since I moved to Esthar. They only show games from the Esthar City Imps there."

Rinoa started laughing as she unlocked her car, saying, "You know, I never got over the name they tacked on their team. The Imps? Really? How do you take something like that seriously? Especially when their mascot looks like a shaved monkey with bat wings. _Ugly_, yes. Intimidating? Not even close." As they got into her car, she added, "Just toss that stuff into the back seat."

Squall did as instructed as Rinoa started her car, chuckling at her vehemence. "I take it you're not a fan."

"Only team I think is worse is the Trabia Snowlions." Rinoa stated contemptuously as she reversed out of her parking space and started driving toward their destination.

"And I'm guessing this is _not_ because they won the Gold Cup three years running," Squall said with a droll expression.

"Did you _see_ last year's championship game? If you didn't I have the tapes. Dirtiest game I've ever seen, and the referees called _nothing_! Not even a trip to the penalty box for high-sticking! They had to take Timber's winger out of the game after that!" Rinoa exclaimed, prompting Squall to laugh again.

Switching gears, both literally and figuratively, Rinoa asked him, "hey, what do you think of the teddy bear? Cute, eh?"

Squall blinked, surprised by abrupt change of subject, and answered, "I guess. I'm not one to collect things like that, though. I suppose a kid might like it, or maybe my sister, Elle. Why do you ask?"

Rinoa didn't answer immediately, instead concentrating upon maneuvering her car into a parking space at the arena.

"Don't forget all my gear," Rinoa reminded him as they got out. Squall obligingly retrieved all the items he'd tossed back there and followed her into the arena itself.

Glancing over to him as they walked, she answered his earlier question, "no reason in particular. I was just curious about your opinion." Squall nodded as they continued through the large doors and into the lobby of the arena.

In spite of himself, Squall was getting a little excited. He'd always wanted to go to a hockey game, and Deling City's new arena was considered one of the best venues for it. He supposed Esthar's would have to be counted as _the_ best, though he'd never actually been there and had only seen photos of it. While not as avid a fan as Rinoa appeared to be, he would occasionally catch a game on TV if he wasn't too busy and it appeared to be a good one. Though he had to agree with Rinoa on Esthar's team; their mascot did them no favors and the team overall was mediocre at best.

There were a number of reasons why he'd never taken time out like this to go to a sporting event, chief among them was lack of time. He'd always either been on assignment, mired in paperwork or just too damned tired after all was said and done to want to deal with the noise and crowds of a big game event like this.

So he followed Rinoa's lead and gazed around the echoing edifice with interest as she led him through the milling crowds to the ticket windows. Before he could say anything about paying for his ticket however, she made a beeline for the Will Call window.

"I've got the tickets already waiting for me here." Rinoa explained as she turned to the clerk at the window and said, "Hi! I'm Rinoa Heartilly and I've got two tickets waiting for me."

"I.D. please?" the clerk asked. Rinoa produced her driver's license and took the tickets that were handed to her. She put her ID away and handed Squall his ticket, slinging her purse back over her shoulder and finally looking back at him.

She smiled brilliantly at the image that he presented in that moment, doing her best to stifle back a laugh. Undeniably handsome as all get out, he also looked just plain adorable with all stuff he was toting for her. The teddy bear in particular, tucked securely in the crook of his elbow, made her think of how he might look if he was a father who'd brought one of his children to the game with him. It occurred to her that she didn't even know if he liked or wanted kids, but that didn't matter right at the moment. The image alone and the possibilities that it implied were more than enough to melt her heart and make her want to freeze the image forever.

So thinking, she immediately took out her cellphone and engaged the camera, snapping a photo of him while his attention was briefly caught by something off to the side. He saw her movement out of the corner of his eye and snapped his head around to catch her just as she was lowering the camera.

"You just took a picture of me, didn't you?" he asked her, frowning. He'd never liked having his photo taken, not even for his SeeD ID. He had a number of very valid reasons for it, one of which had very much to do with his former occupation as a SeeD. Anonymity was something SeeDs cultivated and guarded jealously. It made covert operations much easier if one wasn't _too_ recognizable. Squall shook his head and sternly told himself to get over it; his concern no longer applied.

"Yeah. You look too cute holding all that stuff. I just had to." Rinoa answered, completely missing his frown. "Come on," she added. "Let's get inside before the game starts."

"Lead the way," Squall said, following her to the turnstiles.

"Elevators are to the left," they were advised by the man that took their tickets and gave them the stubs back.

Squall glanced down at the ticket as they approached the banks of elevators, asking her, "Box seats, huh? How'd you come by these?"

"Through my work," Rinoa answered while pressing the button indicating _up _on the elevator they selected.

Squall was about to ask her about that, suddenly realizing that he had no idea what she did for a living. He didn't think she'd said much about it at the resort either. And later? _Too focused on…other things…. to ask her about mundane stuff like work. _ He thought with a mental snort.

Before he could however, Rinoa asked him, "So did you see all the displays and things as you came in?"

"You mean all the banners and pennants?" Squall asked as the elevator arrived, pinged, and the doors opened.

Stepping in, Rinoa answered, suddenly animated, "Yes! What did you think of all that?" Squall followed her in and leaned against the back of the car, considering her question.

" I dunno, seemed pretty much par for the course on a playoff game. The teddy bear giveaway thing was a good idea though; especially if they wanted to get more families bringing their kids." He finally answered, then, indicating the stuffed bear, added, "Makes me wonder though, do they give these away often?"

"No, this was the first promotional rollout of Galli-Bear's new design." Rinoa answered.

"How'd you get hold of this one then?" Squall asked her, curious in spite of himself.

"Oh, he was a prototype for the bears we're giving away today. I'm in charge of promotions for the Bears so I needed a prop to take to the ownership for their approval before we could roll it out for tonight's game." Rinoa explained, adding, "We're giving away a bear to the first twelve hundred people with a child under ten with them tonight."

"So you _are_ trying to bring in more families. Doesn't hockey seem rather a violent sport for children to be watching?" Squall wondered.

"Not any more violent than their Saturday morning cartoons," Rinoa said with a shrug. "And definitely _not_ as violent as basketball or football."

"I guess you have a point, at least about the basketball and football. I wouldn't know about the Saturday morning cartoons." Squall commented.

"So, we need to watch some. I just happen to have all of Marky Moomba's greatest hits on DVD at home. If you're interested, we can watch them after the game." Rinoa said.

Squall shrugged noncommittally, saying, "sure." His mind however, was on _other _things…things that he would be very much _more_ interested in doing with her, particularly if the cartoons proved boring.

"Great!" Rinoa grinned at him.

The elevator pinged their arrival moments later, then opened directly into the box they had tickets for. Squall simply stared, momentarily stunned. Okay, box seats at a sports venue were premium seats anyway, but this was obviously a private box. A _luxury_, private box. Complete with a full bar and catered gourmet meals if so desired. While no stranger to high-class accommodations, Squall had never, for various reasons, been able to do _this_.

"Okay. I'm impressed." Squall admitted.

Rinoa's grin brightened, and she said, "Just put all that stuff over there." she indicated an overstuffed chair that was part of a grouping that looked more like it belonged in someone's living room.

Squall crossed the plush carpeting, gazing around the box, as he made his way to the chair Rinoa had indicated to deposit all of the things he'd carried up for her. Glancing at the bar, he wondered what kind of beers they had on tap and if it would be worth it to avail himself of one.

Turning back to Rinoa, he couldn't help but smile back briefly at the brilliant smile she was giving him, asking her, "So, you _work_ for the Galbadian Bears hockey team?"

"Well, I work for the owner, but yes, basically I do." She answered, lacing her fingers tightly together and suddenly feeling anxious about what he thought of it.

"You know, I don't think I ever asked what you did for a living, and I don't remember you mentioning it," Squall commented, coming up to her and taking her hands. He frowned slightly as he noticed her literally unclenching them to wind her fingers around his and he started rubbing at them gently to get them to relax.

"No, I…. that wasn't on my mind when I was in Esthar," Rinoa said, suddenly breathless.

Squall laughed softly, "No, I don't suppose it would be, not if you were there to forget about things for awhile."

"And you don't generally ask your clients what they do for a living anyway, right?" Rinoa asked him. Squall nodded.

"I _didn't_. And they usually didn't care to discuss it. Who they were and what they did was their own business, and none of mine. They were there for a different purpose, one that had nothing to do with their lives outside the resort." Squall said, subtly reminding her that his previous occupation was _past tense_.

"Well, I guess, that being the case, it's not too surprising that you wouldn't think to ask about it now." Rinoa responded. Then, biting her lip, she asked, "So um…what do you think? About…about all this… my job… I mean, it _is_ kind of weird I guess for a girl to be doing this job…"

Raising an eyebrow, Squall said, "not really, not if you enjoy it. And you seem pretty good at it as well."

Smiling brilliantly at him, Rinoa sighed in relief and squeezed his hands, "thanks! I was so worried that you'd think all this was stupid or something." An echoing announcement over the PA caught their attention and they both looked out toward the rink and the large screen that hung above it.

"The game's getting ready to start," Rinoa said, turning back to him. "Do you want a beer or something? I mean, it's just us here tonight but I can have someone bring up some snacks or something."

"I was considering asking about the beer. What's on tap here?" Squall asked her.

Rinoa named several popular local Galbadian brews, which prompted Squall to sigh and ask her, "anything else? I'm not overly fond of those."

Rinoa squeezed his hands again, and then let go, laughing softly, "picky. Well, that's all that's on tap, but there are several imported brands in bottles. I vaguely remember seeing a bottle of your brand here."

Turning away, she headed toward the bar and ducked behind it. Sounds of her opening what was likely a refrigerator, and clinks and pings as she poked around at its contents, followed.

"Well, how very observant of you, Miss Heartilly." Squall said, following her. He very nearly jumped when she popped up unexpectedly from behind the bar, holding a bottle of beer.

"Here it is! Highland Ale. Right?" She asked, looking around for a bottle opener.

Squall pulled his multi-tool from his pocket and held it up with a smirk, prompting Rinoa to laugh and hand him the bottle, which he then opened.

"Right," Squall said in satisfaction, taking a long sip and sighing.

"May I?" Rinoa asked, holding her hand out for the tool. Squall handed it over and she opened a bottle of her own, _this_ one of cola. Squall gave her a puzzled look and she explained, "I drove here, remember?"

"Right. Hadn't thought of that." Squall replied. He opened his mouth to say more, but Rinoa interrupted him when music started playing.

"They're playing the national anthem! The game's starting!" She hurried over to him and directed his attention to the rink and the solemn spectacle taking place. The Galbadian flag was raised, the music swelled and the entire arena stood until the anthem was finished.

When the formalities were concluded and the players took the ice, Rinoa clapped her hands enthusiastically, announcing, "All right! Let's drop the puck and _get it on_!" With that, she turned toward the grouped furniture, plopping down on the couch and setting her drink on the coffee table in front of it.

Squall, chuckling at her enthusiasm, followed her and sat down next to her on the couch, taking another swig of his beer.

Rinoa immediately cuddled close and kissed him on the cheek, saying, "Ok, two rules here. One: you _have_ to cheer for the Bears."

Squall looked over at Rinoa, eyebrows raised, and replied, "Well, they're playing the Woodcocks, so yeah, okay. I'll cheer for the Bears. Rule number two?"

"Have fun!" Rinoa answered emphatically.

A slow grin spread across Squall's face and he tipped his bottle up one more time, draining it and setting the bottle on the table. "Let's get it on." He said.

Rinoa squealed happily and planted a big kiss on his lips just as the official dropped the puck and the game began.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry...AGAIN... for taking so long with this, but life gets busy as I'm sure you all know. SO... hockey. Of all things...and that's one of the few sports that I know NOTHING at all about, though it is kind of fun to watch sometimes. SO any mistakes I make regarding the game or anything like that, just keep that in mind. I had fun coming up with the team names, Ashbear and I brainstormed about it...well... MONTHS ago, I guess... and we had so much fun doing that. The next chapter will continue on from here and well... you'll just have to wait for the rest.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter XIII

"Aw c'mon! That was a blatant foul! Call it you frickin cross-eyed douche canoe! A wendigo with brain damage has more smarts than you do! Idiot! Fecking dillwad! Where do they _get_ these morons? Did you _see_ that?" Squall blinked in surprise at the invective that Rinoa let fly with when the Bears' right winger was checked, _hard_, against the barrier and went down. Then it was a confusing melee of flying gloves and sticks as the other players joined in and the game play was interrupted by an actual brawl.

But that was beside the point. Rinoa's creative and inventive use of language was what really fascinated him. Throughout the game, if something occurred that she didn't like or she felt the referees should have paid attention to, she'd spout off something that wasn't _quite_ profanity, but if one listened to what she was saying, came pretty darn close. But she never used even _one_ actual swear word.

It was really quite amazing. Squall wondered if he should start taking notes.

"Come on Aylward! Don't let those micro dorks snow you! Watch the puck! Watch it! Wa- YES! Great save!" Rinoa cheered as the Bears goalie caught a slapshot to the net, saving a goal. She raised her hand to give Squall a high-five, catching him off guard. He hesitated a brief moment then raised his in kind, catching her hand as it slapped against his.

"You're awfully quiet," Rinoa commented, biting her lip and wondering if her unladylike enthusiasm had put him off. "Are you having fun? You're bored, aren't you?"

Squall smiled at her and pulled her hand to his lips, kissing it, and answered, "I'm having a great time. You're almost more fun to watch than the game is."

"Really?" she asked, brilliant smile lighting up her features.

"Yes. Really." Squall answered. Then he added with a smirk, "I'm seriously considering recommending you to an instructor position at Garden."

"You can still do that? I thought you'd quit." Rinoa asked, frowning slightly.

"I still have some pull with the old man in charge," Squall answered.

"What would you recommend I do then? I mean, I do promotions here and I suppose the Garden academies could benefit from that expertise as well…" Rinoa mused.

Squall couldn't help the grin that spread over his features as he answered, "I'm thinking you could create your own curriculum on a new class that centers around your _true_ talent. Language 101: Creative Profanity."

"Creative Pro- You goof!" Rinoa exclaimed, slapping his shoulder. "I thought you were serious! That's it! See if I tell you any of my secrets!" Squall laughed at her response, and Rinoa started laughing as well. Then she caught something out of the corner of her eye and turned to look at the jumbotron screen. The camera was focused directly onto the box there they were sitting and she could just make out herself and Squall in the image, despite the interference from the glass.

"Oh! It's the kiss cam!" Rinoa exclaimed, turning back to Squall.

"The kiss what?" He asked, confused.

"You don't know what the kiss cam is?" Rinoa asked incredulously. Squall shook his head.

"Well, there's no time to explain," she said. Then she grabbed his face in both hands and pulled him to her for a kiss.

Squall froze in surprise, then slipped his arms around her and pulled her close, deepening the kiss. She wound her arms around his neck and speared her fingers though his hair, and everything fell away for the both of them. Nothing but the feel and taste of her lips on his, the warmth of her body against his, registered with him.

A sudden roar from the crowd finally interrupted their interlude, though Squall was willing to miss whatever was happening with the game to continue kissing Rinoa. Rinoa on the other hand, was _not_.

"Mmmm," Rinoa said, pulling away with several quick kisses as though she was unwilling to stop. "I have to…. watch this…. to help Carrie…. with the… press releases…"

Squall let her go with a sigh and returned his attention to the game as well, leaving his arm draped casually across her shoulder. He was feeling nicely mellow thanks to the two beers he'd thus far consumed, and was enjoying the game, though not as loudly as Rinoa was. It was…_nice_…to be able to share something like this with her.

It went without saying that none of his clients would have done this with him. Whatever they did, whether it was in the bedroom or out, was geared toward what the women wanted, and they rarely cared to go to sporting events. And going out on a regular date with a regular girl? Squall couldn't remember if he'd even done _that_ before. _Ever_.

In his not so distant past, Squall didn't actually _date_. Not really. Lack of time was the main reason, and later, when he'd made commander, concerns about propriety. One had to tread carefully when engaging in a relationship with a subordinate, doubly so if that relationship was purely sexual.

Opportunities _did_ happen, though not as often as one would think, and not nearly as often as he would have liked. Like any man, he enjoyed sex. It was just the lead up to that point that was a little bit difficult for him at times.

So it was beyond amazing that he was actually on a date with a beautiful young woman. One who had in fact _invited_ him to a hockey game, of all things. It was a rare woman that would actually go to a hockey game with him, and _enjoy_ it. Very rare.

One in a million rare.

"YES! Hat trick for Flash Wallic! Bears are up by two now! Whooo HOOO! Timber's in trouble now!" Rinoa crowed.

"They've still got a period left," Squall pointed out, still amused at her enthusiasm.

"Hey! Don't rain on my parade!" Rinoa protested, then urged, "Think positive! If they win this game they go on to the semi-finals; and if they win _that_ game it's the Gold Cup! First championship for the Bears in _ages_!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Squall said, giving her a warm smile and squeezing her shoulder briefly in a half-hug.

They fell into a comfortable silence, absorbed in the game. Well, mostly anyway. Rinoa's attention may have been riveted to the game, but Squall's was divided between the action taking place on the ice and the woman sitting next to him. As always, her warmth seeped into him as she snuggled against his side, while the scent of her hair and skin enticed him. Then she turned and smiled at him, and he felt it reach straight through to his heart.

He wanted to kiss her again. And again….and he wanted to keep kissing her until they got back to her apartment, where they could continue from there. Squall swallowed and returned his attention back to the game, suddenly unsettled. He thought briefly of getting another beer and decided against it. Not at the moment anyway, he was feeling nicely relaxed, and didn't want to overdo it. Too much beer tended to make him sleepy and he didn't want to appear bored.

As the final period of the game commenced, the action on the ice intensified. The Woodcocks' center slipped a shot by the Bears' goalie, narrowing the margin to one point. On the next drop, the puck was immediately claimed by the Bears' center, who brought it around the net and passed it to the right wingman. A furious race toward Timber's net ensued, with Flash Wallic, the fastest winger in the league, well in the lead.

It looked like he had an easy shot into the net on this charge, but the goalie blocked it. With the puck free, a veritable scrum of players converged upon it, each battling the other for possession in a knot of flying sticks. The boards boomed as the battle got rough and players were slammed against them. Finally, the puck flew free and the players took off after it, with a Woodcocks player finally taking possession. Timber's players then arrowed toward the opposing goal in a wedge, passing the puck back and forth between them with the Bears' players in hot pursuit.

The Bears' goalie, Aylward, who'd advanced to the center of the rink, backskated toward the goal as the opposing players charged him, his eyes riveted on the puck. A lighting fast flick of Timber's left wing's stick and the puck flew toward the net in a barely seen blur. Aylward's keen eyes however caught it and he immediately blocked the puck and sent it to Wallic. Flash immediately justified his nickname as he took possession of the puck and eeled his way through the Woodcocks defenders toward their net.

The rest of the Bears formed up to back Wallic and escorted him to the net as he almost literally cut up the ice on his way to the goal. This time, the charge was relentless. The preceding gameplay had burned up a significant amount of time on the clock; now the minutes were slowly ticking down to seconds. But the course of an entire game could be determined in a single second…and that was exactly what happened.

Timber's goalie, in an unexpectedly aggressive move, skated out to meet Flash and stole the puck from him just as he was about to slap it into the net. He immediately passed it to a teammate who in turn sent it to their center. The player charged through the opposing defensemen, evading them nimbly as he worked at positioning himself, then nailing the puck and sending it whizzing toward the goal. The Bears' goal was largely undefended save for the goalie, which saw the shot coming and moved to block it but was a hair too late. The puck slipped into the net and tied the game with less than a minute remaining.

The arena erupted into a roar of noise that even Squall and Rinoa could hear, despite being sequestered in the private box. He appreciated the luxury of the surroundings, but despite his aversion to crowds, it seemed more genuine to be seated among the other spectators at such an event. But that was a fleeting thought as the game itself had captured his attention fully.

Rinoa of course was enjoying herself immensely…and loudly. "ARRRGH!" She exclaimed loudly at the tying goal, "C'mon Aylward! What happened, did somebody knock you cross-eyed? Jeez!"

"Looks like sudden death overtime." Squall observed.

"Carrie's going to have her work cut out for her after this," Rinoa observed.

Curious, Squall asked, "You mentioned helping her with press releases? What does she do?"

"Media relations. She basically wrangles reporters and players and makes sure everybody plays nice in the locker rooms while interviews are going on. And yeah, she does the official press releases for the team and players, if they want them." Rinoa answered.

The arena's PA echoed with the announcement of the sudden death overtime, and captured their attention once again as the players lined up for the final face off. Then the puck was dropped and the game resumed. This time, the play was intense and the puck went from one end of the arena to the other multiple times, with goals attempted on each side that were handily defended by the goalies.

Time ticked away with neither side scoring, when one of Timber's linesmen attempted a pass to a fellow teammate, which was deftly intercepted by a defending player on the Bears' side. A sly deke to the right, a pass to the left, and the linesman who caught the puck was skating down the ice toward Timber's net.

Another deft feint drew the goalie away from the net just enough for the Bears' lineman to fire a quick shot at the hole that had been left open, slipping the puck into the net and winning the game.

The arena erupted into a roar as the score was flashed on the scoreboard. The Bears were advancing into the next round of the playoffs and were now just one game away from a chance at the Gold Cup.

Rinoa had leaped to her feet, cheering wildly, and flashing a brilliant grin at Squall when she heard his exultant shout as the Bears player scored. Laughing, she flung herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. Squall hugged her back, his wide grin echoing hers.

"One more game! Just one more game and we're in the big show!" she crowed excitedly, kissing him on the cheek.

"Now all you need is the score from the other playoff games to see whom the Bears are facing," Squall said, calming from his momentary excess of emotion. His grin had faded but the smile left behind did not, nor did Squall's awareness of Rinoa's slender body pressed against his.

"Wow! That was a great game, wasn't it?" she asked him.

"Best I've ever seen," Squall said, still smiling down at her. He bent forward and pressed his lips against hers in a light, questioning kiss.

Rinoa answered the unspoken question by allowing her eyes to drift shut and leaning into his body, giving herself up to his kiss. As her lips softened and parted, Squall slipped his tongue delicately into her mouth, gradually deepening the kiss while pressing her even closer to him.

Rinoa's fingers speared into his hair, while one of Squall's hands was resting lightly against her cheek, caressing it while moving to the back of her neck, tangling his fingers into her hair. The sensation of his large hand caressing the nape of her neck and cradling the back of her head threatened to melt Rinoa into a puddle at his feet.

Unfortunately, her phone chose that moment to ring.

"Ungh…damn," she whispered, reluctantly pulling away from him to answer it. Squall smiled slightly, just as reluctant to release her.

"Rinoa here," she spoke into the device. "Yeah Carrie, it _was_ a great game, wasn't it?" the response to her question was indistinct, and she replied, "yeah. All we need now are the scores for the other playoff games. Then we'll know who the Bears are going to face in the final matchup."

Squall waited patiently while she continued her call, squeezing her hand gently and stepping away to allow her privacy…and to visit the lavatory.

When he returned, she'd concluded her call.

"That was Carrie," she said unnecessarily.

"Do you need to leave? You mentioned helping her with the press releases?" Squall asked, wondering if she had to go to work now that the game was over.

"No, she just needed to bounce a couple of ideas off of me. She's busy right now lining up post game interviews in the locker room anyway." Rinoa answered. Tilting her head up to him, she added with a smile, "wanna come home with me and help celebrate our glorious victory?"

Squall approached as though drawn by an invisible cable, invading her space to a thrilling degree. Suddenly breathless, she met his eyes and started to sink into their turquoise depths.

"I would love to," he murmured softly, bending down to kiss her again.

* * *

Hours later, Squall lay reclined on her couch and blinking sleepily at Rinoa's television screen. Rinoa was draped on top of him and fast asleep, her head pillowed on his chest. The night had grown brisk, and he'd drawn the afghan that had decorated the back of the couch over them both to ward off the chill.

It had started innocently enough. They'd returned to her place and true to her word, Rinoa had immediately queued up her Marky Moomba DVD. Then she had snuggled up to him and they had watched a few of the episodes.

Rinoa had laughed in unabashed, childlike delight at the clever moomba's antics along with those of his friends and adversaries. Squall had watched the cartoons and Rinoa's reactions to them, at first mystified by the whole thing. He did however, come to appreciate the moomba's clever, snarky approach to his challenges and the mischief that he got into.

It was all rather silly, though he did have to admit that some of the episodes they'd watched _had_ amused him. But Rinoa's warmth as she pressed against him, the scent of her hair, and the music of her laugh…. It had commanded more of his attention than the colorful antics of the cartoon moomba did.

So it wasn't such a surprise that he should decide to ignore the television altogether and gently place his lips over hers when she turned her face up to ask him if he was enjoying the show. A slight start, indicating mild surprise, was Rinoa's initial reaction. Then her fingers speared through his hair and she pressed forward, deepening the kiss and pushing him back onto the couch.

The end result was a foregone conclusion. Their clothes were mostly piled on the floor next to the couch, with Rinoa's bra somehow ending up draped over a lampshade.

Squall had never thought that the sounds of Marky Moomba's squeaky, fast talking voice would be anything close to erotic, but really, once he'd started kissing Rinoa, it didn't matter. Air horns could have been going off in his ears and he wouldn't have heard them.

They'd ended up making love on the couch until they were both too tired to move.

Squall yawned, shifting a bit. His body was giving him a pressing need to get up but Rinoa's warm weight was pressing him into the velvety chocolate suede of her couch. He didn't want to disturb her, but his comfortable contentment was being driven away by his mounting need to use the bathroom.

Shifting slowly, he slid out from underneath her so deftly that she did not wake.

Upon returning, he considered the situation analytically. The hour had grown late and Rinoa had told him that she needed to work in the morning. He could simply leave her to sleep where she was, but the couch, while comfortable, _was_ a little tight for two. Not that it had made any difference to them, as close as they'd been sleeping. Still, they would both sleep much more comfortably in her bed.

So thinking, he shut off the television, then knelt down next to the couch and pulled off the afghan, pausing to stroke his hand lightly down her back to her hip and buttocks. She shifted in response, but didn't open her eyes, appearing to still be asleep. Working his hands underneath her body, he gathered her close and stood carefully.

Her weight was negligible, and she curled into him, wrapping her arms around his neck in her sleep as he carried her to her bedroom and laid her gently on the bed.

He adjusted the bedding, tucking her in and tenderly caressing her cheek before turning off the light and climbing in with her, pressing close against her back and draping his arm over her waist to pull her closer still. Rinoa shifted and sighed, murmuring something unintelligible, and Squall kissed her lightly beneath her ear, tightening his arm around her. She relaxed and her breathing steadied, returning to the rhythm of deep sleep.

Sleep was slower in coming for him. Squall lay awake in the dark for a time, listening to her breathe and feeling the warmth of her body, pressed against him. It wasn't the same, he thought, as falling to sleep in the arms of a client. The drowsy torpor brought on by sexual satisfaction was biological in nature, and the comfort derived from sleeping with his partner was based on that and nothing more. They'd go to bed and have sex as strangers, sleep as strangers, wake and go their separate ways, back to their separate lives. They would disclose nothing of themselves to each other; touch nothing but each other's bodies.

This was different. It had been different from the first night she'd spent in his bed, alone. Whether he'd wanted her to or not, she'd touched more than his body, and he'd revealed himself to her, bit by bit. They were becoming inextricably intertwined, and he didn't know if that was a bad or a good thing, but it was too late to stop it, regardless. The only thing that he knew at that moment was that if his life consisted of nothing else but lying in bed with her in his arms, he would consider it heaven.

That thought should have frightened him. Instead, it awakened a longing so deep and poignant, that he ached with it. _That_ frightened him. It meant that regardless of what resulted from this liaison, he would never be the same. Henceforth and forever after, he would always be aware now of how empty he felt inside, and how well she filled that emptiness…

Sleep claimed him then, pulling him gently down into the warm darkness of vague, formless dreams. Dreams that were unseen, even to his mind's eye; dreams that were only _felt_.

Squall lay in the darkness with his arms around Rinoa, and let himself _feel_.

* * *

The alarm should have awakened her. Instead, it was soft, warm lips trailing feathery kisses up the side of her neck, sending a shivery thrill down her spine.

Rinoa sighed, stretching and arching back against Squall's warm…and _awake_… body, saying, "Good morning."

"It _can_ be, if you want it to be," Squall murmured seductively, pressing her back against him, making her gasp as his erection thrust against her.

Rinoa moaned softly, "Oh…I…. what time is it?" she couldn't think past what his hands were doing to her, one caressing a breast, while the other…. was making her ache.

"Just past six." He answered softly, giving her a gentle nip on the shoulder.

Rinoa considered that for a moment. She normally didn't get up until seven, started work at nine…making a decision, she reached into top drawer of her bedside table, fishing for and pulling out a condom and tossing it back at Squall. She heard it hit him and felt the bed shaking at his chuckle.

Then she turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply, whispering, "I want it to be the best morning _ever_."

Kissing his way down her neck to her breasts, Squall murmured, "I'll do my best to accommodate you."

She was squirming in moments, heart pounding and blood surging, aching for him to join with her, flesh to flesh. Rinoa fisted her hands in his hair painfully, her body throbbing from his ministrations. She tugged upward and Squall raised his head, aquamarine eyes warm and glittering in the morning light as they locked with hers.

Swallowing and licking at her dry lips, she whispered, "Please…"

He smiled slowly in response. There was a slight pause as he prepared himself, then moved his body over hers. Rinoa couldn't hold back a long, low moan as he slowly, maddeningly, sheathed himself within her. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, aching to pull him in even deeper, not knowing if it was just that physical merging that she was aching for, or something…more.

Another gentle nip at the side of her neck, then a puff of warm breath as he whispered hotly, "God I love it when you do that." He started to move with long, slow strokes, watching Rinoa's responses closely.

"Do what?" Rinoa gasped, biting her lip and moaning again as his strokes became more forceful.

"The way you roll your eyes back in pleasure the moment I'm inside you," Squall whispered, pausing in his movements to adjust his position so that he could tangle his fingers in her hair and steal her breath with a deep kiss. "The way you wrap yourself around me. The way you give yourself to me completely, each and every time. The way your skin flushes and your breath catches every time I kiss you…"

Squall's breathless statements, punctuated by each stroke as he surged and retreated, threatened to completely undo Rinoa. She was very quickly reduced to simply moaning and panting, nails digging into his back and holding on for dear life as he saw, and _felt_, Rinoa's hunger for more. Then neither of them could speak as the elemental passion between them took control. From gentle and slow, Squall became forceful and nearly rough. Rinoa's moans became cries as she dug her fingernails deep into his back, giving as good as she got as she raked him from shoulders to buttocks.

She surged to meet each thrust until they'd found a sort of rhythm, one that heightened the pleasure for them both; one that had them both clutching each other for dear life, shuddering in the wake of their shattering mutual release.

Squall had buried his head in the crook of her neck, his heavy breathing warming her sensitized skin. Rinoa burrowed her fingers through his sweat-dampened hair, caressing his scalp. They were pressed so close together that she could feel his heartbeat thudding against her chest; still feel that part of him that remained inside of her throbbing in time with his heart.

Rinoa's other hand rested upon his back between his shoulder blades. Slowly, dreamily, she stroked her hand down his back, slick with sweat, to his firm rear, caressing it gently. He made a muffled sound of pleasure and shifted, making Rinoa gasp, as his hardness had not yet abated to any degree. He raised his head then and gazed down at her, hands still tangled in her hair, thumbs idly caressing the skin of her face.

His expression was difficult to decipher but Rinoa saw that same softness in his eyes that always seemed to be there lately when she looked into them. Cold and piercing, flat and unreadable, or warm and tranquil, she always found his eyes fascinating to study. Not merely because they were beautiful, though they certainly were; that clear turquoise color alone was enough to get anyone's attention. Add to that their exotic, almost almond shape, and thick dark lashes that surrounded them; lashes so dark that at first glance, Rinoa had thought he was actually wearing eye makeup. Eyeliner at least, if not mascara as well. Upon closer inspection however, Rinoa quickly learned that the man had been inexplicably blessed with eyes no few women would kill for.

Gazing up at him now, with his face just inches from hers, Rinoa broadened her study from his eyes to the rest of his face, finding it equally attractive. Beautiful even. Smooth, blemish- free skin with a light golden tint given to it by Esthar's sun was modeled over high cheekbones, a long, straight blade of a nose, and a sharp, nearly pointed chin. The diagonal slash between his eyes was long healed, she saw, but still very visible as a pinkish-tan blemish a tone or so darker than the surrounding skin. She wondered how he'd gotten it. Then she wondered if he'd tell her if she asked.

Finally, she came to his lips. Soft, and well shaped, when they weren't pressed together in a thin line or twisted into a scowl; she decided that they were shaped perfectly for kissing. So thinking, she stretched forward and touched her lips lightly against his.

He willingly and ardently reciprocated, and while Rinoa was sorely tempted to simply remain in bed with him and let work go hang, she really couldn't. She loved her job and didn't want to lose it, even though the thought of leaving her houseguest alone to his own devices made her want to sigh.

Sigh she did, when he pulled back, which prompted him to give her a puzzled look. It really was quite amazing how expressive his eyes could be when he wanted.

"I wish I could stay here all day with you," she said, toying with the hair at the back of his neck.

Squall's expression cleared and his lips softened into an almost smile as he replied, "So do I. I'm sorry for dropping in on such short notice."

"Apology accepted, though I'm not about to complain about the fact that you're here now." Rinoa smiled up at him.

"What time do you need to go to work?" he asked her.

"Nine." She answered, then she yawned and shifted. Squall obligingly moved off of her then, kissing her lightly as he got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

Upon returning he delved into one of the drawers where he'd put his clothing, pulling out the black pajama pants that Rinoa remembered from their first meeting.

While putting them on he said, "Why don't you go get your shower and I'll make coffee. Anything in particular you want for breakfast?"

Smiling at him, she answered, "The eggs you did for me yesterday were fine. If you feel up to doing that again, I won't complain." Then her smile broadened as she added, "you don't need to get dressed on _my_ account,"

"I'm not," he answered dryly. "I just don't want to be surprised again in case another one of your friends with a key drops by unannounced."

"Only Selphie had a key…" Rinoa began, then blanched as she remembered that _one_ other person had a key to her apartment. Had in fact insisted upon it in no uncertain terms.

Seeing her face go pale, Squall frowned, "What's wrong?"

"I just remembered that there's another person that has a key to my apartment, and unfortunately, I can't get it back."

"Who is it?" Squall asked, trying to ignore the sense of dread that began gathering like a lead weight in his stomach.

Biting her lip, Rinoa answered in a small voice, "My father."

_Shit. _ The General. Squall had met the man before briefly. It had been cordial enough; a business meeting to discuss particulars of the hire the General was offering, and to negotiate the price. Squall had been in command of the SeeDs then so it was up to him to close the deal and assign the SeeDs to carry out the mission the General had in mind. As he recalled, the mission had been successful and General Caraway satisfied by the results.

But that had been years ago. Even so, despite the brevity of their contact, Squall rather doubted that the General would actually _forget_ him. General Caraway had a keenness about him that led Squall to believe that the man never forgot anyone he'd had dealings with. Given the political climate in Galbadia, it was likely the only way to keep track of who might be an ally and who might be a potential enemy.

And while they had given each other due respect while working together, Squall rather doubted that the man would be at all happy to learn that Squall was ….. Hell, he didn't even know the right word for what he was doing with Rinoa right at the moment. Besides having sex that was.

It was more than that and Squall knew it, but it was still too soon to say that they were actually _dating_. They'd spent more time in bed having sex than out of it doing anything else, and while they _had_ gone on a couple of dates, what they had at this point could hardly be considered an actual relationship. Not yet, at any rate. Given time perhaps, maybe something lasting would develop.

Still, the fact remained that he was fucking General Caraway's daughter and he rather doubted the man would approve of it.

"Squall?" Rinoa's worried question jogged him out of his momentary distraction, and he focused his attention on her.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine. I guess I forgot who your father is." He answered.

"I wouldn't worry too much about him. He never just _drops by_. In fact, I don't think he's ever actually seen my apartment since I moved in. He just wanted a key for emergency reasons." She reassured him.

"Well, that's understandable I guess." Squall said, adding as he turned away, "I'll go make the coffee. You may want to shower now if you don't want to be late for work."

"Are you going to be here when I get home?" Rinoa asked, suddenly worried. Her parentage had scared off more than one young man in the past…

Frowning, Squall answered, "Yes, of course. Where else would I be?"

"Well, it's just that… Well… my father…" she couldn't continue.

"He's not here, is he? And you're an adult, so your affairs should be only yours until and unless you want to inform your father. If I were still a SeeD I might think differently, mainly from a business standpoint, but I'm not. And even if I were, I wouldn't let it deter me." Advancing toward the bed, eyes intense, Squall leaned over her where she still lay and braced his hands on either side of her.

Brushing his lips against hers, he murmured softly, "I'm not afraid of him, if that's what you're worried about. The only person whose opinion of me matters is you." He gave her a gentle, lingering kiss, then straightened up and left her staring after him, blood racing.

* * *

"I've left the spare key on the hook next to the leash. So you don't have to be cooped up here all day if you don't want to be. I'll be home around six or so, and we can do whatever you want for dinner and…and after. I hope you aren't going to be bored, I mean, I feel kind of rude taking off and just leaving you but I couldn't arrange time off on such short notice and…" Rinoa knew she was babbling and was mentally kicking herself in an effort to stop. Squall simply waited, watching her with a slight smile, until her voice stumbled to a halt.

"I'll be fine," he reassured her. "I'll go for a run, maybe walk your dog for a bit. I've got my laptop here so I can play around with the markets. Don't worry, I won't be bored."

"You're sure?" Rinoa asked, biting her lip uncertainly.

"Yes. Go ahead and go to work before you're late." Squall admonished her, coming up to her and sliding his arms around her waist to give her a brief hug and a kiss. He kept the contact brief, not wanting to start anything that couldn't be finished.

It left Rinoa's heart pounding anyway.

Swallowing hard, she turned toward the door and said, "I'll be back later then."

"I'll be waiting." Squall smiled at her, then added, "by the way, you look beautiful."

Rinoa's heart turned over at his simple statement. She hadn't dressed any differently than she normally did for work. Today's outfit was a simple, tailored navy blue suit with a white silk shirt, similarly navy blue colored stockings and a pair of relatively low-heeled black pumps. Her makeup was minimal; really just moisturizer, a bit of gloss and mascara, and her hair had been left down and brushed until it gleamed. A simple silver chain she'd inherited from her mother containing her mother's wedding band was the only jewelry that she wore aside from her watch and a pair of silver stud earrings.

She'd never thought of herself as beautiful. In her father's eyes, she'd been mostly invisible.

Rinoa felt her cheeks heating up and she smiled back, saying, "thank you." Then she left.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter XIV

It had been surprisingly difficult to fill the hours left to him while Rinoa had been away at work. He'd gone for a run of course; enjoying the cool weather and the peaceful, serene neighborhood Rinoa lived in. Then he'd taken Angelo out for a walk, recalling the dog park that Rinoa liked to take her to, and played with the animal for a while. He'd always liked dogs but had never, for various reasons, been able to get one of his own.

So he tossed her favorite squeaky toy around for her, grinning down at her happily lolling doggy smile, quite oblivious to the attention he was attracting.

It was late morning, getting on toward lunch. He'd showered after his run, and in deference to the cooler weather was obliged to wear one of his new sweaters, his scarf and his peacoat. He'd chosen the gray one, mainly for its texture. Soft, silky smooth and warm, it felt nice to the touch, and nice to wear, even over the knit shirt he had on beneath it.

It was more than adequate to deal with the chill breeze that tempered the bright sunlight and played through his hair. Focused as he was upon playing with Angelo and enjoying her antics, Squall was completely unaware of what a strikingly handsome figure he cut while doing so. The sun glittered in the gold and copper strands that hid in his brown hair, the chill lent an attractive flush to his lightly tanned skin, and his lean, panther-like grace was displayed each time he moved.

Just about every female and even a few _males_ that were also there with their pets, sighed at the sight.

Angelo returned from the other end of the park after an especially long toss of her toy by Squall, dropping it at his feet with an imperious bark.

"My, aren't we demanding?" Squall commented with a slight smile, bending down to pick up the toy. The dog bowed, butt wiggling madly, and barked sharply again.

"Is that Angelo?" A girl's voice asked.

Squall turned around to meet the curious gaze of a young blond woman. She was pretty, petite and green-eyed, with lush curves in all the right places, and seemed to find a great deal of interest in studying his person. He was used to being eyed like a prime stud on display…. in Esthar, in the context of his former occupation. In its current context however, it was more than a little disconcerting. Particularly as that was _not_ how he was presenting himself.

"Yes." Squall answered her warily.

"Where's Rinoa? Are you dog-sitting for her?" the girl asked, avidly and obviously intrigued. She took a step closer to him and Squall narrowed his eyes, watching her covertly.

"Are you a friend of hers?" He countered with a question of his own. He didn't know why but the girl's manner and attitude put him on his guard almost immediately. He sincerely hoped that she was merely an acquaintance rather than a close friend. She obviously knew Rinoa, or at least knew her dog.

"Yeah, we hang out sometimes." She answered with a shrug. "I'm Kaylee by the way." She put a hand out to shake his, but Squall held up the doggie toy, which was liberally lubricated with canine drool, and the girl wrinkled her nose and smiled, putting her hand down.

Angelo barked again, then whined loudly, demanding his attention. Squall glanced down at the dog, silently thanking her for her interruption, and tossed her toy again. She shot after it like a rocket.

"So, where do you know Rinoa from? She usually has someone else dog-sit for her. Do you know when she'll be back?" Kaylee asked him, inching closer.

Squall shook his head silently, privately thinking that this girl couldn't possibly be a close friend of Rinoa's. Granted, he hadn't asked about or met any of her friends (aside from Selphie, that is), but in the list of those that she'd spoken of at length in Esthar, the name "Kaylee" had not come up. He studied her silently for a moment, wondering what it was about her that set his teeth on edge.

"Well, if you aren't busy later on, maybe we could get some coffee? I didn't catch your name…?" she prompted him, letting her voice trail off expectantly and giving him a brilliant, winsome smile.

"I didn't give it," he said coolly, giving her a look guaranteed to flash freeze her to powder.

Undaunted, the girl shrugged easily, "Some other time then. Ta-ta!" she sauntered off, hips swinging, assets clearly on display for his benefit. Several pairs of male eyes followed her.

Squall snorted quietly to himself, unimpressed. Too heavy handed and overconfident by half, and not even his type; he couldn't have been less interested if she'd been a mangy wendigo.

Angelo chose that moment to return, happily squeaking her toy as she mouthed it before dropping it at his feet. She snorted and sneezed, panting happily, and sat down at his command. He reached down and picked up the toy and clipped the leash back onto her collar.

Patting her head, Squall ordered tersely, "Come." She got up and followed him immediately, and they left the dog park, strolling back to Rinoa's apartment.

Squall's mind turned over the details of his encounter with Kaylee while he walked, coming to the conclusion that he'd disliked her on sight due to what he'd seen in her eyes, her expression, and her attitude. It was obvious that she was a gossip, and was fishing for any information about him and his relationship with Rinoa. It was also obvious that regardless of what that relationship was, she intended to make a play for him…already had, in fact. He'd seen and dealt with her type before, and knew the best way of thwarting her was to simply ignore her.

Easy enough to do; he'd gotten the icy reserve thing down to a science by now. He was rather mildly surprised that she'd managed to stroll away without visible signs of frostbite. He must be slipping.

It wasn't difficult to shake off the encounter however, as Squall fully intended not to spend another second dwelling on it. The day was beautiful if cooler than he was used to, the sun was bright and the weather clear. He was conscious of a rumbling in his midsection and checked his watch, noting that it was just a few minutes before noon.

So, lunch then. As he headed back to Rinoa's apartment, he considered and discarded several options for lunch, and wondered idly if Rinoa would like to take lunch with him tomorrow. He decided to bring that up to her when she got home from work. He didn't actually know where her office was located (though it wouldn't be too hard to find out) and didn't want to simply show up unannounced.

He finally stopped along the way and picked up a take-away lunch, then paused at a florist's shop, studying the brilliant bouquets that were displayed outside. He cynically acknowledged the shrewdness of the display, for it was artfully arranged and difficult to ignore. As a means of luring customers, it did precisely what it was meant to do.

He let his gaze travel idly over the wares, undecided as to whether he should simply move on or actually purchase a bouquet for Rinoa. He wondered if she would like it if he did, and then started thinking about what kinds of flowers she liked. He recalled how she'd liked the gardens at the resort, the rose garden in particular.

His mind drifted back to that day; how the warmth had brought out the color in her cheeks, how the perfume of the flowers had lured bees that had buzzed industriously around them, focused on their nectar gathering duties. Rinoa had stopped here and there as they perambulated to look closely at this bloom or that, bending occasionally, heedless of the bees, to breathe in the fragrance.

"May I help you sir?" a voice asked him.

Squall reluctantly pulled his mind away from that memory and focused on the individual who had addressed him. His first impression was that a garden gnome ran the florist's shop. Certainly, the wizened creature before him couldn't have stood more than four feet in height. Bright, inquisitive eyes, snowy white hair and full beard, and a squat form wearing a deep green gardening apron over a blue checked shirt completed the image. The only thing he lacked was a pointy red hat.

"Um…" Squall said, taken off guard by the man's appearance.

"Are you lookin' for some flowers? For a young lady perhaps?" The old man asked gruffly, then paused and added cautiously, "or perhaps a fella?"

Squall frowned and shook his head, "Lady." He answered. Then snorted inwardly. He hadn't completely decided on buying the flowers yet…. until just this second. Maybe the old geezer's assumption was the push he needed.

"What kind are you looking for? Do you know what she likes?" the man asked.

Remembering the garden in Esthar, Squall answered, "Roses. She likes roses."

"Lotta women do," the man acknowledged, then waved toward the interior of the shop, saying, "Come on in, let's see if we can find something she'll like."

Squall hesitated, glancing down at Angelo.

"Oh, don't worry about your dog, I don't mind if you bring it in." The man said, opening the door invitingly. "Keep the roses in the cooler so's they don't wilt as fast."

"Ah." Squall followed the man into the shop, looking around with interest as he did. It wasn't the first time he'd ever gotten flowers for a woman. He did it for his clients if he felt they'd appreciate it. Most of them did. Of course, he'd never actually gone _into_ the florist's shop at the resort himself. He usually simply called and had the flowers sent to the woman in question.

Actually walking _into_ such a shop, smelling the fragrant freshness of cut flowers and plants, seeing all the different varieties and combinations of foliage that could be arranged in floral displays, was quite a different matter. For some reason, he felt awkward and a little foolish about it, truth be told.

"Over here young man," the old man said, gesturing toward a large glass fronted cooler that held several shelves full of rose arrangements in a staggering array of colors and varieties.

Squall simply stared at them, momentarily overwhelmed. Then gave himself a mental shake. Why was he being so _stupid_ about this? They were just flowers for Hyne's sake, not a declaration of undying love. _Not yet…_ a traitorous little voice whispered in the back of his mind. _Shut up! _ He told the voice firmly. No way was he ready to think about _that_ yet.

But it was already too late, his mind had taken and run with it, wandering down the garden path in his memory, calling up the image of Rinoa sniffing the roses in Esthar and telling him which ones were her favorites.

It was the white ones, she'd said. But it turned out they weren't _purely_ white. Upon closer inspection, they'd discovered that the roses were in fact a pale blush pink on the inside, gradually fading out to white at the edges of each petal, like the rosy blush on Rinoa's alabaster cheeks.

It took a couple of passes, scanning the arrangements in the cooler, before Squall finally found it. It was beautiful, and the roses were perfect. He didn't want to go over the top with the whole dozen-red-roses-in-a-crystal-vase thing; that would send an entirely different message than the one he wanted to convey. Besides, the blush pink and white roses were the ones that Rinoa had already told him were her favorites.

"Those." Squall said, indicating the bouquet he wanted.

"Dozen or half?" the man asked him.

"Half," Squall answered.

"Would you like a vase with it?" the man asked as he opened the cooler and picked up the flowers, taking care to make sure the cellophane wrapper and the vials of water that each rose stem was thrust into was intact.

"No." Squall answered, following the man to the register.

Furious tapping upon the register ensued, with the proprietor of the shop finally stopping and informing him, "Okay, young man, that will be twenty gil."

Squall simply nodded and handed over the money, accepting the plastic-wrapped bundle of flowers in exchange. He frowned slightly down at them, starting to feel foolish again.

"Thank you," the man said. "I'm sure your young lady will love you for bringing them."

Squall looked up, startled, and felt his cheeks warming. It took him a moment to find his voice, and the only thing he could manage was a murmured, "thank you," before he fled the shop in mortification. The soft chuckle that followed him out as he left didn't help.

As he continued on to Rinoa's apartment he kicked himself mentally several times, annoyed with how silly he was being. It was just a bouquet of flowers, for crying out loud. It wasn't as if he'd never given flowers to a woman before…but this was somewhat more personal than what he'd done in the past. He'd chosen the flowers and paid for them himself…and _that_ he found, made a world's worth of difference.

Upon entering the apartment, he immediately went in search of a vase to put the flowers in, not wanting them to be completely wilted by the time Rinoa returned from work. He poked about the cupboards in growing frustration, growling to himself that perhaps he _should_ have bought the vase along with the flowers. He couldn't believe the girl wouldn't have at least _one_ vase for a bouquet of flowers. Hadn't she had a fiancée who'd presumably given her some on one occasion or another?

He finally gave up and settled on a water pitcher that appeared large enough for the flowers, and got to work trimming the stems and adding the powdered preservative to the water. Then he set them down in the middle of her dining room table, standing back and admiring the result.

Pleased with himself, he finally sat down to eat his cooling lunch.

* * *

The sound of a key rattling in the lock of Rinoa's front door, followed by a muffled exclamation as she discovered the door open caught Squall's attention. He blinked and checked his watch, startled to note that he'd actually burned several hours puttering about on his laptop. He'd accomplished quite a lot doing that as well, tracking his investments and fielding emails from Marti, Ellone, and Eric, among others.

Angelo, recognizing her mistress's approach, had hopped off the couch and gone to stare expectantly at the door, ears pricked, several minutes before Rinoa actually opened the door. Squall, seated comfortably on the couch, immediately saved what he was doing and shut his laptop, setting it aside to watch Rinoa interacting with her dog with interest.

"Hi Angie-dog!" Rinoa chirped, kneeling down to ruffle the dog's ears and plant a quick kiss on the cold, wet nose. She straightened up with a final pat and glanced around the apartment, her face lighting up when she saw Squall watching her from the couch, elbow resting upon the arm, with his chin propped on his fist. The slight smile he wore made her heart flip over.

Then her mouth went dry as he uncoiled from the couch and stretched, suddenly putting her in mind of a large cat just waking up from a nap. She simply stood still and watched him pad toward her, as silently graceful as a cat as well in his stocking feet. He looked so good in what he was wearing she simply _had_ to stare; the soft gray sweater and faded blue jeans made her fingers just itch to touch him.

"Oh dear Hyne, you are gorgeous," she murmured, not realizing she'd said it aloud until he chuckled softly, coming to a stop in front of her.

"You keep doing that," he said softly, gazing down at her. Seemingly of their own volition his fingers sought and found hers, tangling together, caressing and moving over each other.

"Doing what?" Rinoa asked, drifting into his turquoise blue eyes, and drowning in them again. She licked her dry lips, suddenly tingling in anticipation of being pressed against his.

"Stealing my lines." He answered with a slight quirk to his well-shaped lips.

"I didn't know there was a script," Rinoa said.

The half-smile he wore faded, and the warmth in his gaze sharpened to hunger, his expression changing to one of intent. Rinoa's eyes drifted shut as he leaned in close; the better to concentrate upon the warm, soft and succulent feel of his lips meeting hers. For a few eternal moments, her focus narrowed to the flavor of his kiss, the wet, silken slide of his tongue over hers, the pressure of his lips, the way they moved against hers.

Her mind drifted, content to simply stand there kissing him forever. Eventually they had to come up for air and Squall rested his forehead against hers for a moment, thumbs caressing her cheeks.

"How was work?" He finally asked her with a small smile at the domestic normality of the question.

"It was work." Rinoa answered, hands slipping around his waist. "I missed you."

"Me too," Squall answered, mildly surprised to acknowledge that in fact, he _had_ missed her. She'd only been gone for a few hours, yet her absence had been keenly felt. That was…strange. He dropped his hands from her face and pulled her close, hugging her, his heart pounding so heavily he felt sure it was battering Rinoa where her cheek rested against his chest.

"What do you want for dinner? Are you hungry yet?" Rinoa asked him, snuggling contentedly into his arms. She smiled to herself as she felt him heave a sigh and relax against her, resting his cheek against her hair.

"Not for food," Squall said, causing Rinoa's heart to start pounding as hard as his was.

That comment, spoken softly against her hair, sent a sudden thrilling shiver down her spine as it engendered vivid recollections of what they'd done so far to satisfy those _other_ hungers. She wanted to feel the silk over steel slide of warm skin over hard muscle, the slight roughness of his sparse body hair beneath her fingertips again. The spicy musk of his scent, a subtle combination of his cologne and _him_, made her want to snuggle close and breathe him in. She wanted to hold him, touch him, and invite him in to become a part of her, wrap her arms around him and never let him go.

The craving became so strong that she slipped her hands beneath his sweater, letting them explore and caress the smooth skin of his back. She smiled slightly to herself as she heard his breath catch. She thought that her boldness would elicit a more ardent response beyond his pulling her closer, close enough that she couldn't help but notice his interest. But he held back for some reason and that sent a little spike of worry into her heart.

"How is it you're not bored with me yet?" she whispered. Surely he would be by now, right? They'd done everything possible in bed that two people could, at least as far as her rather limited imagination could supply. With his vast experience, he _should_ be getting bored by now, she'd have thought. Or, if not bored, at least _tired_.

Squall considered the question seriously. Sex had _never_ bored him, regardless of whom it was with, perhaps because he found something of interest with each new partner, even if the basic activity was the same. In Rinoa's case however, it was more than simple enjoyment of the act itself that he could have with _any_ woman, but also her response to it. It was, quite simply, _her_. Not just her body, but how she was awakening to her own sensuality, how every sensation, every touch, was new and exciting to her. Being her partner in crime, as it were, and watching her absorb this newness, made it new for him as well. And it excited him beyond all reason.

It was more than simply sex however; what drew him to her resided in a location well north of his groin.

Trying to _explain_ that to her though, proved more than a little difficult for him.

"I don't know," He answered softly. "It's just…you. Nothing about you, how you feel, how you respond, could ever be boring to me. I'm…. it's like an addiction, almost. I just…. can't seem to get enough…"

Rinoa swallowed, then licked her lips and raised her eyes to his, almost afraid for a moment, of what she'd see there.

"I…it's the same for me," she said softly. "Is…is that a bad thing?"

"Not for me it isn't. Scary, maybe. But... not bad." Squall answered, studying her expression.

"Scary?" Rinoa asked, puzzled. Squall didn't seem the sort to be afraid of _anything_.

"A little, yes." Squall answered, nodding.

"Why?" she asked him breathlessly, slowly coming to a realization of her own regarding _his_ feelings, quite aside from hers.

Squall hesitated, and then answered, "I've never felt like this before. Not with anyone."

That bald admission, flirting far too close to….whatever….for comfort, made him suddenly want to hide; pretend that he'd never said any such thing. But he had, and it was the truth. He couldn't take it back now even if he wanted to. And it left him feeling vulnerable, exposed, and naked. Frightened.

Scary as it was however, something stronger than that held him fast and wouldn't let him retreat or hide. Something deeper. Something…. real.

"_Never_?" Rinoa asked, wondering. Had he never had a girlfriend then?

"No," Squall shook his head.

A sudden wave of tenderness washed over Rinoa then, and she gave him a smile of such gentle sweetness that Squall blinked and swallowed. _It's all right, _she thought. _I'll take care of you. Everything will be okay, I promise. _

It was absurd, really, that she should think that about the very well grown, very strong young man that Squall was, but there had indeed been a flash of vulnerability that she'd seen that put her in mind of the lost, orphaned boy he had once been. It was one more layer to the increasingly complex personality that she was just becoming acquainted with; one more reason to love him.

She stretched up and placed her lips softly against his, letting her hands wander where they would. His response was immediate, crushing her against him while taking over the kiss and leaving little doubt in her mind how much he wanted her in that moment. She fought for breath in a soft moan as he delicately nibbled at her earlobe, then her neck, threading the fingers of one hand though her hair, while the other palmed her backside.

Her senses were swimming, her body beginning to ache and clamor for more. She wanted to feel and see more of him, so she worked her hands upward, trying to pull off his sweater. It was difficult, pressed so closely against him, but he realized her intention and gave her a bit of room so that she could get his sweater off.

Once he was bared to the waist, Rinoa dove in, kissing him at the base of his throat and smiling to herself as he moaned softly. Working her way downward, she explored his torso with her lips, fascinated by the differing flavors and textures they transmitted back to her, registering and reveling in the gasps and rumbling growls she drew from him as she did. She followed her lips with her fingertips, torturing him further.

She found herself pressed up against the dining room table, head thrown back and moaning as Squall once again kissed and nipped at the sensitive skin on her neck while unbuttoning her shirt and caressing her breasts. His lips trailed downward toward her cleavage, making her nipples harden and her breath come short.

He was whispering again, breath hot against her skin, whispering things that she'd heard him say before while in the throes of lovemaking, telling her what he liked, and what he wanted. She found that both fascinating and exciting, that he should be so…vocal about it.

"I've wanted to do this all day," he whispered, pulling her shirt out of the waistband of her skirt.

"This?" Rinoa asked stupidly, senses swimming as he opened her shirt the rest of the way and tormented her by skimming his lips over the tops of her breasts, then scraping the tender skin lightly with his teeth.

"Mmmm," He responded, adding, "the moment I saw you come out dressed in this prim little secretary's outfit, I wanted to have you up against the wall or on the table…Gods, anyplace. You have no idea how hot this makes me…"

"I do _now_…" Rinoa murmured.

He laughed softly at that, and continued, sneaking his hand up under her skirt and breathing, "Oh, Hyne, you _are_ wearing suspenders aren't you?"

"I take it that's a major turn-on for you?" she asked, wondering at the quirk of fate that had led her to decide on stockings and suspenders instead of pantyhose that day.

"All of it is, but yeah, that's certainly one that does it for me," he said, lifting her onto the table and pushing her skirt up above her thighs. His fingers toyed briefly with the tops of the stockings and their fastenings, brushing lightly along the tops of her thighs before withdrawing for the moment, leaving her aching for more.

"So…" Rinoa began and swallowed, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back on a moan as he nipped at her neck again. "So su..suspenders are a fetish of yours?"

"No." He murmured, his attention focused on removing her bra and shirt. "I don't have any fetishes, remember? It's exciting, _you're_ exciting, and the idea is sexy as hell…but it's not a fetish."

"What…What's the difference?" she wondered, gasping as his lips closed over one of her nipples, biting her lip and arching her back while spearing her fingers through his hair.

"I don't need it to become aroused." He answered, raising his head and grinning wickedly at her. "All you need to wear is a smile."

"Oh," she answered faintly. Then he stole her breath again with another deep kiss before returning his attentions to her breasts.

He reduced her to inarticulate moans and gasps in short order, particularly when he finally undid her suspenders and removed her panties. She wasn't even thinking about the fact that they were currently in the middle of the dining room on the table. Or rather, she _was_, and it just added to the excitement. Particularly when added to what he was doing to her with his lips and tongue underneath her skirt.

She lay back onto the table, lost in the sensations that pulsed through her body, shuddering as Squall relentlessly drove her to the peak and beyond. He gave her a moment to catch her breath, kissing her gently on her navel and prompting her to laugh softly and stroke her hands through his hair. He slowly worked his way upward, his light kisses tickling her sensitized skin.

Rinoa arched her back and writhed under him, aching from her breasts to her core, struggling to breathe. She wanted…she needed…. But the only thing she could do was moan and clutch at Squall's hair, pressing against him as he sucked and nibbled at her nipples.

Squall too was coming to the end of his endurance, and it was with a sigh of mingled relief and pleasure that he prepared himself and joined with her. He nearly lost it at Rinoa's moan as he entered her, and had to close his eyes for a moment and take a deep breath to regain his control. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he gripped one of her hips and thrust forward, prompting Rinoa to arch her back in response to meet him.

_Gods, this just keeps getting better and better. How is this possible? _ He wondered, quite beyond words at the moment. He opened his eyes and watched her, enjoying immensely the way she gasped and moaned with each thrust, her breasts bobbing and her head lolling, eyes closed. She'd never know, unless he told her, how exquisitely beautiful she looked as he made love with her; her pale skin showing a delicate flush and dewed with a light sheen of sweat, soft, pink lips slightly parted, raven hair tumbled across the surface of the table.

Rinoa's encouragement in the form of a light raking of her fingernails down his back, as well as his own aching need, prompted him to increase his pace. His blood surged, breath coming short, caught up in the throes of their passionate lovemaking. At some point during the proceedings, as Rinoa writhed and cried out in a wonderfully satisfactory fashion upon reaching her climax, Squall thought he heard something crash to the floor and break. It was rather forcibly dismissed from his mind in the next moment when his own orgasm washed over him with the force of a tsunami. He couldn't think of anything at _all_ then.

He came to himself with Rinoa's fingers combing through his sweat dampened hair, breathless, heart still racing as though he'd just run a marathon. He simply gazed down at her, and she gave him the same sweet smile that always seemed to stop his heart and make it flip over. He raised himself up onto his elbows so that he wasn't crushing her against the hard surface of the table, and leaned forward to taste her sweetness one more time, closing his eyes as his lips met hers.

"We always seem to end up like this," she commented with a smile, when he pulled back from her.

"Can't seem to help it," Squall replied softly. Then he frowned slightly, "If you'd rather I didn't…um….or if you're feeling…uncomfortable… tell me. It's okay to say no."

Rinoa's brows knitted in confusion for a moment until she finally caught what he was alluding to and reassured him, "Oh, no I'm fine. Not sore or anything, if that's what you're worried about."

Squall sighed, visibly relieved, "good…we'd been a little caught up in things and well, you're still kind of new at this… It just occurred to me that as active as we've been, you might be."

"I'm okay," she said, then smiled at him and added, "I can't seem to help myself either." Then she frowned and started looking around, finding it difficult to see anything from her current position on the table.

"Speaking of getting caught up in things, did you hear something actually break?" she asked, puzzled.

Squall paused, considering that, and had a sneaking suspicion that was quickly confirmed by the simple expedient of raising his head to check. Sure enough, the glass water pitcher, and the roses, was no longer on the table. By craning his neck a little, he could just see where they'd ended up in a puddle of water and shattered glass on the floor.

Sighing, he answered her, "Yes."

"What was it?" she asked, frowning and raising up onto an elbow, looking around as he withdrew from her.

"It was your glass water pitcher," he answered apologetically, heart sinking at her gasp.

"My crystal pitcher? Why was it on the table?" she asked, voice rising in pitch as she started to sit up and shift toward the edge of the table, preparing to jump off.

"It was crystal?" He asked, then shook his head at his idiocy. Of course it was. It was the reason he'd chosen it in the first place; it had looked lovely with the roses in it.

"Damn. It was. I'm sorry, I'll get you another one," Squall said, then reached forward and gripped Rinoa's shoulders gently to stop her from getting off of the table. Glancing down at her bare feet, he told her, "Don't. There's glass everywhere. Stay here and I'll deal with it, okay?"

When Rinoa nodded agreement, Squall leaned forward and kissed her gently and caressed her cheek before cautiously picking his way through the dining room. First to the bathroom, then to the living room to put his shoes on, and finally to the kitchen to get the dust pan and whisk broom, along with some paper towels.

Rinoa drew her feet back up onto the table and shifted herself over to the other side where Squall was busy cleaning up the glass and spilled water….and the roses that had apparently been in the vase. Six of them. Pale, blush pink and creamy white, and most of them still flawless, though one did appear to have sustained a little bit of bruising on the delicate petals, while another appeared slightly tattered, the petals cut by the glass.

Rinoa's heart melted.

"You got me roses?" she asked softly. "I didn't even see them. I'm sorry…"

Squall glanced up and gave her a wry grin, "it's okay. You were a little….distracted." He redirected his attention to the floor and carefully picked up the roses, frowning down at them. They appeared to be ok, though they did bear some evidence of their rough treatment, inadvertent though it had been. He considered pitching them and simply buying another bouquet tomorrow, but Rinoa stopped him as he turned toward the trash bin.

"Don't. They're still pretty enough, leave them."

"Do you have anything to put them in? I used the pitcher because I couldn't find anything else." Squall said.

"Um, yeah. The cupboard over the fridge." Rinoa directed him.

She felt a flush rise on her skin as he paused for a moment, a half-smile quirking his lips, and let his gaze travel up her body from her feet to her face. With her undone stockings starting to bag around her ankles and inching downward from her thighs, her skirt still rucked up to an indecent degree, her top completely bare and her hair in disarray, Rinoa wasn't sure what he was thinking of, but his expression told her that he liked what he saw. Undoubtedly because it was all his doing and the doing of it had been enjoyable indeed.

Then he turned away, lay the flowers aside, opened the cabinet above the refrigerator and took down a lovely cut crystal vase. It was fluted like a champagne glass, and the facets caught the light and made the whole thing glitter like a large diamond. Rinoa's throat closed and her eyes blurred, remembering the day that Allyn had given it to her, stuffed with red roses and with an engagement ring attached to the card. She forcibly swallowed down the lump that had formed in her throat and reminded herself that the past, and Allyn, was gone. It was past time to move on; and it was just a vase, after all.

By the time Squall had finished with filling the vase with water and installing the roses into it, she had regained her composure with no indication that anything had been wrong.

Setting it carefully upon the counter, he returned to her and said, "There, that's that. And now, it's time for dinner. Any ideas?"

"Worked up an appetite have you?" Rinoa asked him, starting to smile.

"Yes. If I've worn you out too much, I can cook dinner, so long as you don't mind scrambled eggs. That's pretty much the only thing I can cook in a pinch that ends up mostly edible." Squall said with a shrug and a slightly sheepish grin.

Rinoa smiled, enjoying the topless view he offered just as much as he'd enjoyed hers.

"We could order in," she suggested.

Squall had caught her appreciative look and just like that, wanted her in his arms again. Wanted to feel her smooth skin resting against his. He approached her and stroked his hand lightly up her leg, enjoying the combination of silk hose over smooth, firm skin.

"What do you like?" he asked her softly, slipping his arms loosely around her waist.

"Pizza's always good." She said, then added, "Or failing that, deli sandwiches, fried chicken or everyone's favorite, Dollett Dogs."

"Not mine," Squall muttered.

"Don't like Dollett Dogs?" Rinoa asked.

"No, not really." Squall answered. Rinoa laughed softly at this, and laughed harder when his stomach growled audibly.

"Well, we need to get _something_ into you, or you'll be useless later on." Rinoa said.

"Does that mean you'll _have_ a use for me later on then?" Squall asked her with an eyebrow raised.

"What do _you_ think?" Rinoa asked him archly.

"I think we'll both be very, very tired when all is said and done." Squall replied, leaning in to give her a slow, sweet kiss, then sweeping her up into his arms. Rinoa whooped and laughed in surprise, then wrapped her arms around his neck while he carried her into the bedroom. He set her down on the bed, and sat down next to her.

"We really should eat," Rinoa began, leaning into him and enjoying the feel of his warm skin against hers.

Squall shrugged and said, "So, call out for something."

"Not _this_ again," Rinoa sighed, then added in exasperation, "Oh, all right. Pizza then, since you aren't offering any suggestions."

Squall shrugged, "Fine by me."

"What kind of pizza do you like?" Rinoa asked, reaching for her phone.

"Whatever. I'm easy," Squall answered.

"I know," Rinoa said, giving him a sultry smile. Squall laughed softly in response.

"Only for you," he replied.

Rinoa's breath caught at that softly uttered rejoinder and her heart thumped painfully, wondering…. She left it alone, knowing instinctively that some men needed to arrive at their own conclusions regarding matters of the heart. Very few of them responded well to being pushed. She placed the order and informed Squall that they'd have dinner in about half an hour.

"So I guess I'd better put a shirt and some underwear back on," she said, getting up and searching out the required items. Once that was accomplished, she added, "and I need to clean off that table. No _way_ am I going to eat off of it after what we just did! Not until it's been disinfected at least."

"Prude," Squall said, lips quirked in amusement.

"Yep." Rinoa retorted, moving purposefully into the kitchen and opening the cabinet beneath the sink. Taking out a spray bottle and grabbing a couple of sheets of paper towels, she set to work.

Squall snorted softly and leaned back against the counter, watching her with his arms folded across his chest. She playfully poked at his side as she passed him on her way into the kitchen, making him jump slightly. She glanced up and smiled at him while putting the cleaning supplies away.

"Ticklish are we?"

"Uh, well, you should know," Squall answered, watching her approach him warily.

"There were _other things_ happening. That little detail must have slipped by me." She said, coming to a stop close to him. Suddenly she reached out and lightly ran her fingers up his sides.

Squall jumped and shuddered, admitting, "Ok. Yes, I'm ticklish."

Grinning wickedly, she attacked him, forcing him to squirm aside and grab her hands, laughing, "Ok, enough of that. Go. Call for pizza or I won't be responsible for what I do next!"

"Oh, do we get cranky when hungry?" Rinoa asked archly.

Lowering his voice to a growl, Squall said in her ear, "Yes, and I start _biting_ things…" Suiting action to words, he gently nipped her neck beneath her ear, making her squeal and laugh.

"Okay, I see your point. I already called by the way, you just weren't paying attention. Now behave until dinner gets here!" She ordered, pointing at the couch.

"Okay," Squall said meekly and sat down on the couch, watching her.

Rinoa raised her eyebrows in surprise at his obedience.

Half an hour later they were enjoying Rinoa's favorite pizza, pepperoni and sausage with black olives, she with a glass of red wine, and Squall with a beer from the six pack that he'd purchased earlier.

They spent the remainder of the night after dinner cuddled on the couch and watching television….and making love once again before finally going to bed to sleep contentedly in each other's arms.

Never once, during any of this, did it occur to Squall to worry about how deeply he was falling for Rinoa. Not once.

* * *

Author's note: I was patting myself on the back for finally finishing this chapter when it was brought to my attention that by inadvertently omitting the letter R, I had turned Rinoa's BREASTS into BEASTS. Sooo I went ahead and corrected it, as that wasn't the image that i'd wanted to convey, amusing though it was.

and yet ANOTHER boo-boo was discovered by Queen00 (thanks for bringing that to my attention), so i corrected THAT minor hiccup as well. Ordinarily I don't miss stuff like that, but well...it's been an unusually distracting week for me.


End file.
